^v  OF  PRi/vcT/g;^ 


^OtOGICAL  St^^;^^ 


BV  4259  .M6  1898 
Mortimer,  Alfred  G.  1848- 

1924. 
Jesus  and  the  resurrection 


JESUS  AND  THE  RESURRECTION 


Jesus  and  the  Resurrection 


THIRTY  ADDRESSES 

FOR 

GOOD  FRIDAY  AND  EASTER 


OCT  ?9;  1920 


A 


'^osiui  ll^^\t 


BY  THE 

REV.  ALFRED  G.  MORTIMER,  D.D. 

Rector  of  St.  Mark's,  Philadelphia 

Author  of  '*  Helps  to  Meditation,"  "  Catholic  Faith  and  Practice  " 

"  The  Seven  Last  Words,"  etc. 


LONGMANS,  GREEN,  AND  CO. 

39  PATERNOSTER  ROW,  LONDON 

NEW  YORK  AND  BOMBAY 

1898 


Copyright,  1897,  by 
LONGMANS,  GREEN,  AND  CO. 


A II  rights  reserved. 


Ube  'Stnicberbocker  iprcss,  "fi^evf  l^orft 


TO   THE  PARISHIONERS 
OF 

S.  MARK'S,  PHILADELPHIA, 

WITH   MUCH   AFFECTION 
I  DEDICATE  THIS   LITTLE  BOOK. 


PREFACE 


THE  addresses  in  this  volume  were  mostly 
given  in  S.  Mark's,  Philadelphia ;  those 
on  the  Seven  Words  on  Good  Friday,  1897, 
and  the  greater  part  of  the  others  at  different 
Eastertides.  They  are  reproduced  from  the  steno- 
grapher's notes,  and  are  intended  for  devotional 
reading  or  as  helps  to  meditation,  and  as  sermon 
notes  for  the  Clergy. 

As  every  picture  needs  its  background,  so  the 
joys  of  Easter  require  the  gloom  of  Good  Friday 
to  show  them  in  their  true  light.  Easter  is  not 
only  a  revelation  of  life,  but  of  life  from  the  dead  ; 
it  tells  not  only  of  the  rising  of  our  Lord,  but  of 
His  resurrection  from  the  dead.  Hence  this  book 
begins  with  the  Death  on  Calvary,  with  the  last^ 
Words  from  the  Cross  as  a  background.  These 
are  taken  as  the  heptachord  of  love  ;  the  relation 
of  the  notes  of  the  musical  scale  to  their  tonic  and 
to  one  another  being  used  to  illustrate  the 
relation  of  our  Lord's  Seven  Words  to  their  great 
key-note,  Love.    Each  of  the  Words  is  considered 

vii 


viii  Preface, 

as  a  manifestation  of  some  special  characteristic 
of  love. 

After  the  Words  from  the  Cross  come  the 
Eastertide  addresses  ;  the  first  one  taking  up  the 
Good  Friday  thought,  the  power  of  love  ;  and 
they  deal  with  all  the  recorded  appearances 
of  our  lyORD  after  His  resurrection,  concluding 
with  His  appearance  to  S.  Paul  on  the  road  to 
Damascus. 

The  book  is  the  result  of  a  remark  made  by  a 
parishioner  last  Baster,  that  while  the  supply  of 
devotional  reading  for  I^ent  is  so  abundant,  there 
are  but  few  books  which  treat  of  Baster  and  the 
Great  Forty  Days.  If  this  little  book  in  any  way 
helps  to  supply  this  need,  I  shall  be  more  than 
thankful. 

Ai.fre;d  G.  Mortimkr. 

S.  Mark's,  Phii.adei.phia, 

Feast  of  the  Purification,  i8g8. 


CONTENTS. 

THE  SEVEN  WORDS  FROM  THE  CROSS. 

PAGE 

INTRODUCTORY  ADDRESS I 

THE  FIRST  WORD 9 

THE  SECOND  WORD l8 

THE  THIRD  WORD TJ 

THE  FOURTH  WORD 35 

THE  FIFTH  WORD 44 

THE  SIXTH  WORD 55 

THE  SEVENTH  WORD 66 

EASTERTIDE    ADDRESSES. 

I.   THE  POWER  OF  I^OVE 74 

II.   THE  EARTHQUAKE 82 

III.   THE  VISION  OF  ANGEI,S 92 

IV.    HOI.Y  ASSOCIATIONS IO9 

V.   THE  VISIT  OF  S.  PETER  AND  S.  JOHN  TO  THE 

SEPUI.CHRE 115 

VI.  WHY  WEEPEST  THOU  ? I25 

VII.   WHOM  SEEKEST  THOU  ? 1 38 

VIII.   S.  MARY  MAGDAI^ENE I46 

ix 


X  Contents. 

PAGE 

IX.  S.  PKTER 153 

X.    THE  JOURNKY  TO  EMMAUS         .  .  .  .  160 

XI.   PEACE,  THE  FRUIT  OF  THE  RESURRECTION    .  169 

XII.   THE  APOSTOWC  COMMISSION   ....  176 

XIII.    S.  THOMAS 184 

XIV.   THE  MIRACUI^OUS  DRAUGHT  OF  FISHES  .  1 96 

XV.    JESUS  STANDING  ON  THE  SHORE      .  .  .  2o8 

ILW.    THE  REVEI^ATION  OF  THE  KINGDOM        .  .  215 

XVII.   THE  GREAT  COMMISSION  ....  224 

XVIII.    THE  PASTORAI,  COMMISSION     ....  236 

XIX.   THE  ACTIVE  AND  THE  CONTEMPI^ATIVE  IvIFE  248 

XX.   S.  JAMES 263 

XXI.   THE  I^AST  WORDS 275 

XXII.   THE  APPEARANCE  TO  S.  PAUI,  .  .  .  284 


THE  SEVEN  WORDS  FROM  THE  CROSS. 


INTRODUCTORY   ADDRESS. 

WE  meet  at  the  Cross  of  our  Lord  Jksus 
Christ,  once  more  to  listen  to,  once 
more  to  consider,  those  dying  Words 
which  are  His  legacy  of  love.  And  if  we  are  to 
pass  these  three  hours  profitably,  if  we  are  to  use 
them  for  the  best,  we  need  at  the  outset  two 
things. 

First,  we  need  to  invoke  the  aid  of  God's  Hoi<y 
Spirit  to  enlighten  our  understanding,  to  kindle 
our  aflfections,  and  to  stimulate  our  will,  that  we 
may  not  only  grasp  something  of  the  meaning  of 
these  Words  of  our  Adorable  Saviour,  but  also 
that  we  may  be  moved  by  them  to  greater  love 
for  Him,  and  that  their  fruit  may  be  manifested 
in  our  lives. 

And  then,  besides  asking  the  aid  of  the  H01.Y 
Ghost,  we  ourselves  must  make  a  real  effort  to- 
day in  order  to  concentrate  our  minds  upon  these 
Words  of  our  I^ord. 


TJie  Words  from  the  Cross. 


The  hours  are  long,  and  we  shall,  perhaps,  be- 
come weary  ;  and  in  addition  to  the  weariness  and 
weakness  which  belong  to  our  own  nature,  we 
know  it  is  the  special  work  of  Satan  to  try  to  steal 
away  the  good  seed,  and  to  suggest  to  us  wander- 
ing thoughts.  We  should,  therefore,  earnestly 
resolve  that  for  these  three  hours  at  least  we  will 
strive  against  weariness  and  wandering  thoughts 
— that  we  will  listen  with  great  attention  to  our 
lyORD's  dying  Words. 

It  is  probably  within  the  experience  of  most  of 
you  here  at  some  time  or  other  in  your  lives  to 
have  stood  by  the  death-bed  of  one  whom,  per- 
haps, 5^ou  loved  most  dearly.  You  remember  how 
weak  the  sufferer  was,  how  intently  you  leaned 
over  to  listen,  so  that  you  might  not  lose  one  word 
that  he  spoke  !  In  like  manner,  let  us  strive  to 
listen  now.  This  church  is  the  death-chamber 
of  JKSUS  Christ.  There  on  the  Cross  is  He 
Whom  you  ought  to  love  best  of  all  in  this  world. 
As  He  speaks  to  you,  listen  intently,  that  you 
may  not  lose  one  word,  one  thought  of  the  precious 
legacy  that  falls  from  His  I^ips  to-day  !  Ask  the 
H01.Y  Ghost  to  help  you  ;  realise  your  own 
weakness,  and  resolve  that  you  will  co-operate 
with  His  grace. 

The  Seven  Words  of  our  I^ord  on  the  Cross 
have  been  likened  to  the  diatonic  scale  in  music. 
From  them  we  may  produce  infinite  harmonies. 


Introductory,  3 

For  as  from  the  seven  notes  of  the  musical  scale 
all  diatonic  harmony  and  melody  is  produced,  so 
in  these  Seven  Words,  the  dying  Song  of  the  Son 
of  God,  are  to  be  found  harmonies  ever  new  and 
inexhaustible,  and  divine  melodies  which  by  their 
sweetness  ravish  the  soul. 

How  manj'  thousands  of  sermons  are  preached 
throughout  Christendom  each  year  on  these 
Words  !^and  for  how  many  centuries  has  this 
preaching  gone  on  !  The  notes  of  the  scale  are 
always  the  same  ;  the  harmonies  and  melodies 
they  produce  are  constantly  varjang.  So  here  we 
have  always  the  same  Words — the  same  * '  old 
story,"  yet  ever  new  in  its  power  to  touch  the 
heart,  to  transform  the  life.  Let  us  strive  to-day 
from  these  seven  notes  to  produce  a  harmony 
which  may  long  linger  in  our  hearts  and  re-echo 
in  our  lives. 

In  all  music  the  key  is  determined  by  its  signa- 
ture. We  need  to  know  the  key-note  that  we 
ma}^  consider  the  other  notes  each  in  relation  to 
its  key.  So  the  Seven  Words  have  been  taken 
from  many  points  of  view,  and  considered  in 
different  lights — with  a  different  thought  as  the 
key-note,  so  to  speak.  To-day  let  us  take  as  the 
key-note  of  our  Meditations  a  thought,  a  word,  a 
light  which  ought  to  be  to  us  the  greatest — the 
word  Love.  Let  us  take  each  of  the  Seven  Words 
in  its  relation  to  that  tonic,  that  key-note,  Love. 


The  Words  from  the  Cross. 


We  read  in  the  first  verse  of  the  thirteenth 
chapter  of  S.  John's  Gospel  that  when  our  Lord 
knew  His  end  was  near,  ' '  Having  loved  His  own 
which  were  in  the  world,  He  loved  them  unto  the 
end,"  or,  as  some  translate  it,  "  to  the  utter- 
most." Having  loved  His  own  which  were  in 
the  world,  all  through  His  Life,  He  loved  them 
unto  the  end  of  His  Life  ;  He  loved  them  to  the 
uttermost,  on  the  Cross.  Or  we  may  take  that 
text  in  the  Song  of  Solomon,  which  we  find 
in  the  fourth  verse  of  the  second  chapter:  ''  His 
banner  over  me  was  love."  Let  us  raise  as  our 
banner  to-da}^  Love  ;  for  '*'  Greater  love  hath  no 
man  than  this,  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for 
his  friends,"  and  we  are  about  to  contemplate 
JKSUS  Christ  laying  down  His  Life  for  us  ;  aye, 
and  thinking  of  us  even  in  His  dying  agony. 

Love  was  the  cause  of  creation.  It  was  the 
overflow  of  God's  love  that  called  this  world  into 
existence,  that  called  you  and  me  into  being. 
Love  was  the  cause  of  the  world's  redemption. 
It  was  love  that  caused  the  Son  of  God  at  the 
Incarnation  to  leap  from  the  Bosom  of  His 
Father  into  this  dark  world  of  sorrow  and  sin. 
It  was  love  that  led  Him  to  die  and  so  to  make 
atonement  for  us  on  the  Cross. 

It  is  love  that  even  now  brings  Him  every  day 
to  our  Altars  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament.  It  is 
love  which  is  the  key  to  the  strange  mystery  of 


Introductory.  5 

God's  dealings  with  us  ;  for  love  is  the  key  to 
His  providences.  God's  relation  to  us  is  entirely 
a  relation  of  love  !  '*  He  loved  me,  and  gave 
Himself  for  me,"  said  S.  Paul — loved  me,  as 
though  there  were  no  other  object  for  His  love  on 
the  whole  earth. 

Love  is  the  great  power  which  rules  the  world. 
Side  by  side  down  the  great  stream  of  human  life 
we  are  able  to  trace  two  supreme  forces,  which 
meet  in  conflict  at  every  turn  of  the  stream — the 
forces  of  Sin  and  of  Love. 

First,  w^e  see  that  tremendous  and  mysterious 
power  of  evil,  which  sooner  or  later  touches  every 
life,  marring  all  that  is  fairest  in  human  nature  ; 
that  poison  which  finds  its  way  into  the  most 
guarded  life,  embittering  earth's  joys,  wrecking 
man's  happiness,  destroying  the  soul's  peace, 
always,  everj^where  present, — the  force  of  Sin. 

And  side  by  side  with  Sin,  but  in  sharpest  con- 
trast, moving  in  and  out  amongst  the  throbbing 
mass  of  humanity,  there  is  another  force,  its  rival, 
the  force  of  Love  !  Love — as  beautiful  as  sin  is 
loathsome,  and  found  in  every  condition  and  rela- 
tion of  human  life,  in  every  state  and  age  ;  love, 
almost  as  universal  as  sin. 

The  love  of  the  little  child  for  its  mother,  as  it 
nestles  in  her  breast  ;  the  love,  so  pure  and  un- 
selfish, of  the  mother  for  her  child  ;  the  love  of 
man  and  woman  in  holy  matrimony  ;  the  love  of 


The  Words  from  the  Cross, 


friendship  ;  the  love  of  the  patriot  for  his  country ; 
the  love  of  the  citizen  for  his  home.  Even  among 
the  criminal  and  outcast,  love  is  often  to  be  found 
as  the  one  redeeming  spark  in  the  darkness  of  sin, 
the  spark  that  gives  hope  of  reformation, — love  for 
something,  for  someone. 

And  these  two  forces  are  ever  in  conflict,  con- 
stantly invading  each  other's  domain.  Sin  is  ever 
finding  its  w^ay  into  the  abode  of  love,  sowing  dis- 
sension, jealousy,  envy,  robbing  love  of  its  home  ; 
or  else,  worse  still,  changing  its  holy  flame  to  un- 
hallowed lust.  Sin  is  everywhere  poisoning  and 
crushing  love  in  all  its  relations,  manifesting  itself 
in  the  rebellious,  ungrateful  child,  the  false  friend, 
the  unfaithful  spouse. 

But  victory  is  not  always  on  the  side  of  sin. 
There  are  times  when  love  invades  sin's  territory, 
overthrowing  its  strongholds  and  setting  free  its 
prisoners. 

Yes,  this  is  the  key  to  all  mission  work,  for  it 
is  love  which  sends  bands  of  holy  women  and 
consecrated  religious  down  into  the  haunts  of  sin, 
into  the  slums  of  our  great  cities, — bringing  back 
the  poor  victims  of  sin,  teaching  them  what  love 
is,  inspiring  them  with  the  hope  of  better  things, 
telling  them  of  the  Precious  Blood  which  hath 
power  to  cleanse  their  soiled  souls,  and  of  the 
Unction  of  the  Hoi,y  Spirit  which  cheers  and 
strengthens  man  in  his  struggle  with  sin. 


Introductory,  7 

And  these  two  forces  of  sin  and  love  are  found 
in  conflict  all  the  waj^  down  the  stream  of  history, 
until  at  last  they  stand  revealed  in  their  utmost 
strength  when  they  meet  for  their  supreme  and 
decisive  effort  on  Calvary,  at  the  Cross  of  our 
Lord  and  Saviour  JKSUS  Christ.  There  sin  does 
its  worst,  and  crucifies  the  Son  of  God  ;  there  love 
does  its  best,  paying  the  penalty  of  sin  and  re- 
deeming the  human  race. 

We  trace  sin  step  by  step  down  the  ages,  until 
it  bursts,  like  a  torrent  in  its  fury,  on  our  Lord's 
devoted  Head.  We  trace  love  everywhere, 
through  all  the  tangled  skein  of  human  life,  until 
it  is  revealed  in  its  most  splendid  strength  on  the 
Cross  of  Christ. 

Sin  points  to  the  Cross  and  boastingly  says, 
' '  Behold  my  strength  !  See  what  I  have  done  ! 
I  have  scourged,  crucified,  killed  all  that  is  fairest 
in  human  nature. ' '  And  Love  points  to  the  Cross 
and  says,  *  *  Behold  and  see  how  I  conquer  sin  by 
paying  its  penalty !  Behold  how  I  conquer  death 
by  dying  !  "  For  love  is  stronger  than  sin, 
stronger  than  death  ;  love  is  the  supreme  power, 
love  is  almighty,  for  God  is  Love. 

To  our  short-sighted  vision  sin  sometimes  seems 
the  stronger,  especially  when  we  perceive  its 
ravages  in  ourselves  ;  but  when  we  trace  the  two 
forces  to  their  origin,  we  can  have  no  doubt  which 
will  win  the  ultimate  victory.     For  great  as  is  the 


8  The  Words  from  the  Cross. 

force  of  evil,  its  origin  is  finite;  we  trace  it  to  a 
creature,  the  devil.  But  when  we  trace  love  back 
to  its  source,  we  find  it  infinite,  for  its  source  is 
God,  and  God  is  Love. 

So  let  us  take  Love  as  the  key-note  of  our  Medi- 
tations to-day,  and  consider  each  Word  from  the 
Cross  as  a  manifestation  of  love. 


THE  FIRST  WORD. 

"  FATHER,    FORGIVK    THEM  ;     FOR    THEY    KNOW 
NOT  WHAT  THEY   DO."      S.  Luke  XXUl'.,  J^. 

THIS  Word  considered  in  the  light  of  love 
gives  us  the  first  and  most  wide-reaching 
example  of  the  fruits  of  love,  for  it  shows 
us  love  manifesting  itself  in  prayer,  prayer  for 
others,  intercessory  prayer. 

Behold  the  scene  !  The  Cross  is  laid  on  the 
ground.  Our  Blessed  L^ord  is  stretched  upon  it, 
His  Arms  are  extended,  and  the  cruel  nails  are 
driven  first  through  His  Hands  and  then  through 
His  Feet.  It  was  probably  whilst  this  torture 
was  being  inflicted  that  the  first  words  were 
spoken,  and  unlike  the  other  words  they  were 
repeated  again  and  again,  for  the  Greek  word 
(sXsys)  which  is  translated  *'  said  "  is  in  the  im- 
perfect tense,  and  signifies  "  He  kept  on  saying." 
As  the  cruel  blows  of  the  hammer  drove  the 
nails  through  the  tender  flesh  and  muscles.  He 
kept  on  saying,  "  Father,  forgive  them  ;  for 
they  know  not  what  they  do. ' ' 

9 


10  The  Words  from  the  Cross. 

Intercession  to  be  effective  must  be  importun- 
ate ;  in  no  prayer  is  greater  persistence  needed- 
There  must  be  the  earnest  solicitation,  the  pray- 
ing "  without  ceasing,"  without  wearying,  which 
is  possible  only  when  love  is  the  motive  power  of 
the  prayer.  How  soon  we  grow  weary  of  prayer, 
especially  of  prayer  for  others  !  And  is  not  want 
of  love  often  the  cause  of  this  ? 

Love,  and  you  will  not  find  it  so  diiSicult  to  per- 
severe in  prayer.  Surely  this  is  one  of  the  simple 
but  practical  lessons  taught  by  this  first  Word. 
For  our  Lord  not  only  said,  "  Father,  forgive 
them,"  but  He  kept  on  saying  it.  So  must  we 
go  on  praying  the  same  prayer  for  the  same  per- 
son or  work,  perhaps  for  weeks  or  months,  or 
even  years. 

Again,  no  kind  of  prayer  is  so  all-embracing  in 
its  subjects  as  Intercession.  Mission  work  all 
over  the  world  ;  souls  in  need  ;  those  we  love,  or 
who  are  bound  to  us  by  ties  of  relationship, 
whether  natural  or  spiritual  ;  those  for  v^^hom  we 
are  responsible  ;  those  whom  we  have  neglected 
or  wronged  ;  those  who  have  injured  us  : — for  all 
these  our  Lord  here  teaches  us  to  pra3^ 

The  Cross  was  lifted  up  from  the  ground  and 
dropped  into  the  hole  prepared  to  receive  it,  ter- 
ribly increasing  our  Lord's  suffering  ;  but  He 
went  on  with  His  prayer,  "  Father,  forgive 
them  ;  for  they  know  not  what  they  do." 


The  First  Word.  1 1 

All  sin  was  gathered  round  Him  there  ;  the 
envy  and  jealousy  of  the  priests,  the  moral  cow- 
ardice of  Pilate,  the  callous  cruelty  of  the  execu- 
tioners, the  brutal  and  heartless  curiosity  of  the 
mob.  Our  Lord,  as  He  looked  down  upon  the 
upturned  faces,  read  in  them  as  in  hideous  char- 
acters every  sort  of  sin. 

What  could  He  do  ?  For  three  years  He  had 
gone  from  one  end  of  the  land  to  the  other  on 
missions  of  love,  preaching  to  sinners  ;  but  He 
could  do  that  no  longer,  for  His  Feet  were  nailed 
to  the  Cross.  For  three  years  He  had  done  works 
of  love,  laying  His  Hands  in  healing  and  blessing 
on  their  sick  ;  but  His  Hands  were  nailed  to  the 
Cross,  so  that  now  He  could  do  that  no  longer. 

There  is  one  thing  left  ;  His  tongue  is  still  free. 
He  can  pray  for  them.  He  can  no  longer  do 
mission  work,  He  can  no  longer  go  about  doing 
works  of  healing  ;  but  love,  the  love  which  burns 
undiminished  in  His  Soul,  finds  expression  in 
prayer.     And  so  He  prays  for  them. 

My  brethren,  we  are  in  a  world  of  sin,  and  we 
are  pledged  to  be  followers  of  a  crucified  Lord  ; 
that  is,  we  are  bound  to  follow  His  example. 

What  can  we  do  for  the  sin  of  the  world  ?  Very 
few  of  us  can  go  out  to  foreign  lands  as  mission- 
aries to  work  for  souls,  for  our  feet  are  bound  to 
the  spot  where  we  are.  We  have  our  obligations 
in  life,  we  have  the  claim  of  family  ties  upon  us, 


12  The  Words  from  the  Cross. 


we  cannot  go  ourselves  as  missionaries.  We  can- 
not, perhaps,  engage  very  much  in  mission  work  at 
home,  because  our  lives  are  such  busy  lives.  But 
we  can  all  pray.  Yes,  the  great  duty,  the  great 
privilege,  the  great  power,  of  intercessory  prayer  is 
within  the  reach  of  us  all.     We  all  of  us  can  pray. 

But  why  must  we  pray  ?  Not  only  because  our 
Lord  sets  us  the  example,  but  because  we  realise 
at  least  partially  what  our  Lord  realised  fully, 
as  no  one  else  ever  did — the  value  of  the  human 
soul.  From  the  Passion  of  our  Lord  we  learn 
the  value  of  the  soul,  for  we  read  there  the  in- 
finite price  He  paid  to  redeem  mankind. 

But  there  is  even  a  greater  revelation  of  the 
value  of  the  soul  than  the  Passion — for  the  Passion 
might  have  been  only  from  pity,  from  the  love  of 
Compassion,  as  it  has  been  called  :  there  is  a 
greater  revelation  of  the  soul's  value  in  the 
thought  that  God  loves  the  soul. 

We  often  love  things  which  are  not  worthy  of 
our  love,  which  disappoint,  bitterly  disappoint  us  ; 
and  this  because  we  are  so  blind,  so  easily  de- 
ceived, because  we  know  things  and  persons  only 
as  they  seem,  and  not  as  they  really  are.  But 
God  cannot  be  deceived  ;  He  needeth  not  that 
anyone  should  tell  Him  what  is  in  man,  for  God 
created  man  and  knows  what  is  in  him  ;  and  yet 
God  loves  man,  and  God  cannot  love  an  un- 
worthy object. 


The  First  Word,  1 3 

Wonderful  thought  !  In  man,  then,  there  must 
be  something — in  your  soul,  in  every  soul,  there 
must  be  something — which  is  worthy  of  God's 
love  ;  and  this  thought  should  be  the  great  stimu- 
lus of  all  missionary  work,  of  all  intercessory 
prayer.  Souls  that  God  loves,  jewels  in  our 
Lord's  Crown,  eternal,  priceless,  are  in  danger  ! 
Now  they  can  be  reached  by  work  and  prayer  ; 
but  soon,  perhaps,  they  may  be  beyond  the  reach 
of  either.  Is  not  this  enough  to  drive  you  to  in- 
tercessory prayer  ? 

Again,  consider  the  dignity  of  intercessory 
prayer.  You  are  members  of  Christ,  and  as 
members  of  His  Body  you  are  bound  to  join  in 
His  great  work  of  intercession.  Its  dignity  comes 
from  the  fact  that  not  only  does  our  Lord  set  the 
example  of  intercession,  but  that  it  is  the  great 
work  of  His  Life  in  glory.  In  His  great  High 
Priestly  prayer  in  the  seventeenth  chapter  of  S. 
John's  Gospel,  just  before  His  Passion,  He  says, 
'  *  I  pray  not  that  Thou  shouldest  take  them  out 
of  the  world,  but  that  Thou  shouldest  keep  them 
from  the  evil. ' '  And  here,  too,  in  this  prayer  upon 
the  Cross  we  find  Him  saying,  * '  Fathe:r,  forgive 
them  ;  for  they  know  not  what  they  do. ' '  Thus 
He  sets  the  example. 

And  then — marvellous  thought  ! — not  only  did 
He  pray  while  on  earth,  but  now  that  He  is  reign- 
ing at  the  Right  Hand  of  the  Father  in  Heaven, 


14  TJie  Words  from  the  Cross. 

His  one  work  is  intercession.  ' '  He  ever  liveth, ' ' 
we  read,  "  to  make  intercession  for  us."  He,  our 
great  Head,  in  the  glories  of  Heaven  is  interced- 
ing for  souls  unceasingly  ;  and  we,  struggling  in 
this  world  of  sin,  as  members  of  the  Head  must 
join  in  His  great  intercession.  So  we  learn  from 
Christ  the  dignity  of  intercessory  prayer. 

And  then  its  efficacy  !  Turn  to  the  picture  of 
Moses  in  the  seventeenth  chapter  of  Bxodus. 
While  the  Israelites  in  the  valley  are  fighting 
with  Amalek,  the  hands  of  Moses  are  lifted  in 
supplication,  and  when  he  grows  weary,  Aaron 
and  Hur  hold  up  his  arms  ;  for  when  the  arms 
dropped  Amalek  prevailed,  but  when  the  arms 
were  held  up  Israel  prevailed. 

All  over  the  world  the  Church  is  fighting. 
Missionaries  in  far-off  lands,  missionaries  in  this 
great  city;  missionaries  in  the  slums,  mivSsionaries 
in  our  own  parish,  are  struggling  against  the 
powers  of  evil — and  on  what  do  they  depend  ? 
Not  on  their  own  gifts,  not  on  their  own  elo- 
quence, not  even  on  the  self-sacrifice  of  their  own 
love  ;  but  they  have  a  right  to  depend  upon  our 
holding  up  their  hands  by  intercessory  prayer. 

Why  do  we  have  every  day  in  this  Church  so 
many  Services  ?  It  is  not  merely  for  those  who 
can  come  to  them.  If  there  were  not  one  person 
who  could  come,  the  Priest  would  still  be  bound 
to  say  his  Office  every  day.     It  is  the  intercessory 


TJie  First  Word.  1 5 

prayer  of  the  Church — the  holding  up  of  the  arms 
of  her  missionaries. 

If  we  turn  from  the  Old  Testament  to  the  New, 
we  read  in  S.  James'  Epistle,  that  "  The  effectual 
fervent  prayer  of  a  righteous  man  availeth  much, ' ' 
and  we  are  reminded  of  Elijah,  a  man  of  like  pas- 
sions with  ourselves,  who  prayed  that  it  might  not 
rain,  and  there  was  no  rain  for  three  years  and 
six  months  ;  and  he  praj^ed  again,  "  and  the 
heaven  gave  rain,  and  the  earth  brought  forth  her 
fruit." 

If  we  turn  from  the  Bible  to  our  own  lives, 
probably  most  of  us  have  had  blessed  experiences 
of  answered  prayer  ;  perhaps  no  one  so  much  as  a 
Priest.  He  prays  for  a  soul  sometimes  for  years  ; 
and  how  Often,  sooner  or  later,  that  soul  comes  to 
God  !  Oh,  the  efficacy,  the  power  of  intercessory 
prayer  ! 

Why  is  the  Church  weak  to-day  ?  Because, 
amid  the  multiplication  of  organisations  and 
agencies  of  work  we  forget  the  power  of  prayer. 
The  Saints  who  again  and  again  converted  the 
world — men  like  S.  Francis  Assisi,  without  wis- 
dom, without  worldly  influence,  without  wealth, 
and  even  without  any  great  eloquence — prayed, 
and  it  was  their  prayer  that  gave  them  their 
power.  It  would  be  a  good  lesson  for  us  this 
Holy  Week,  if  we  learnt  the  efficacy,  the  duty, 
and  the  dignity  of  intercessory  prayer. 


1 6  The  Words  from  the  Cross. 


And,  then,  recollect  that  its  neglect  is  really  a 
sin,  for  which  we  shall  have  to  answer.  For  we 
read  in  the  twelfth  chapter  of  the  First  Book  of 
Samuel,  and  the  twenty-third  verse,  that  Samuel 
said  to  the  people,  ' '  God  forbid  that  I  should  sin 
against  the  Lord  in  ceasing  to  pray  for  you." 
He  says  that  though  they  had  behaved  so  badly 
to  him  and  sinned  so  grievously  against  God,  yet 
if  he  were  to  stop  praying  for  them  he  would  be 
sinning  against  the  Lord. 
j  Intercessory  prayer  :  its  dignity  how  high  ;  its 
!  efficacy  how  great  ;  and  its  neglect  sin  ! 

Now  just  a  word  or  two  about  some  hints  for 
intercessory  prayer.  One  should  set  apart  a  cer- 
tain time  for  it,  and  even  in  addition  to  that,  strive 
to  use  it  at  other  times.  The  best  time,  if  we  can 
give  it,  is  between  twelve  and  three  in  the  after- 
noon, when  our  Lord's  Arms  were  outstretched 
on  the  Cross,  pleading  for  the  world;  for  all  inter- 
cessory prayer  must  be  in  union  with  the  Cross  of 
Christ.  The  best  day  of  the  week  is  Friday, 
when  our  Lord  died  for  souls.  We  need  not,  of 
course,  confine  ourselves  to  that  day  or  hour  ;  but 
none  can  be  more  suitable. 

It  would  be  well  when  we  have  a  spare  hour 
to  take  a  sheet  of  paper  and  make  a  list  of  the 
subjects  for  which  we  feel  we  ought  to  pray  ;  and 
then  each  day  to  pray  for  some  one  or  more  of 
them. 


The  First  Word.  17 

First,  going  as  far  away  from  home  as  possible, 
there  would  be  prayer  for  foreign  missions  ;  then 
prayer  for  those  around  us  who  are  in  ignorance 
of  God,  blasphemers  or  hinderers  of  His  Word  ; 
and  then  for  those  who,  knowing  God,  are  in 
mortal  sin, — that  they  may  be  brought  to  repent- 
ance. We  should  pray  also  for  those  who  are  in 
great  temptation,  on  the  very  verge  of  yielding  to 
sin  and  perhaps  losing  their  souls  ;  for  those  who 
are  working  for  God  in  special  ways  ;  for  the  sick^ 
that  they  may  be  patient  ;  for  the  sufferings  that 
they  may  unite  their  sufferings  to  the  sufferings 
of  Christ,  so  making  them  meritorious.  And 
then  think  often  of  the  dying ;  for  we  shall  all 
have  to  die  some  day.  It  is  a  charitable  act  to 
say  sometimes  a  prayer  or  litany  for  an  2mk?iown 
dying  soul.  Pray,  too,  for  the  dead,  those  who 
have  died  in  the  Lord.  And  lastly,  pray  for  your 
own  parish  ;  for  j^our  Clergy — their  ministrations 
to  you  must  depend  very  much  on  your  prayers  ; 
and  for  the  various  works  of  the  parish; — oh,  the 
persons  and  things  to  be  prayed  for  are  indeed 
almost  without  number  !  Make  a  list  of  some  of 
them,  and  then,  from  day  to  day,  go  through  that 
list,  and,  joining  3^our  prayer  with  the  prayer  of 
our  Lord  on  the  Cross,  ask  God  to  have  mercy 
and  bless  these  different  works  and  persons  for 
the  sake  of  His  dear  Son  our  Lord  and  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ. 


THE  SECOND  WORD. 

**  VKRII.Y  I  SAY  UNTO  THKK,  TO-DAY  SHAI,T  THOU 
BE  WITH  MK  IN  PARADISE."      S.  Luke 

xxiii.y  ^j. 

OUR  lyORD  was  not  crucified  alone.  On 
either  side  of  Him  was  a  malefactor,  a 
robber.  At  first,  both  seem  to  have  re- 
viled Him,  but  His  prayer.  His  intercessory- 
prayer,  worked  for  the  benefit  of  the  soul  of  one, 
— the  robber  to  whom  tradition  gives  the  name  of 
Dismas, — who  was  converted  with  a  wonderful 
penitence,  and  said,  "  Lord,  remember  me  when 
Thou  comest  into  Thy  kingdom, ' '  and  who  heard 
the  answer — not  a  future  promise  only,  but  a 
promise  in  the  present,  to-day — *'  To-day  shalt 
thou  be  with  Me  in  Paradise. ' ' 

Here  we  have  the  second  note  of  the  scale,  and 
we  are  to  consider  it  in  relation  to  its  tonic,  to  its 
key-note,  Love.  If  the  first  note  showed  us  love 
manifesting  itself  in  prayer  for  the  souls  of  others, 
the  second  shows  us  love  manifesting  itself  in 
almsdeeds,  that  is  in  works  for  the  souls  of  others. 

i8 


The  Second  Word.  19 

Our  Lord  was  asked  by  the  thief  for  a  bare  re- 
membrance in  His  kingdom,  but  He  at  once  gives 
him  a  share  of  that  kingdom — the  kingdom  which 
He  was  to  win  at  so  great  a  cost.  How  striking 
and  suggestive  is  the  fact  that  the  first  to  whom 
He  promises  a  share  in  His  kingdom  is  a  penitent 
robber  ! 

Who  could  have  deserv^ed  less  ?  for  in  his  own 
confession  he  said,  * '  We  receive  the  due  reward  of 
our  deeds ' ' : — we  have  deserved  our  punishment, 
our  pain,  our  shame,  our  crucifixion — "  but  this 
Man  hath  done  nothing  amiss  !  "  And  yet  the 
Holy  JKSUS,  filled  with  the  consuming  fire  of  love, 
having  pra^^ed  for  the  soul  of  that  thief — as  indeed 
He  prayed  for  all  men — welcomes  it  as  the  first- 
fruits  of  His  pra3^er,  and  bestows  upon  it  the  first 
share  of  His  kingdom. 

"  Remember  me  !  "  But  were  there  not  others 
who  had  greater  claims  upon  His  remembrance  ? 
His  mother  ;  S.  Mary  Magdalene  and  the  other 
Mar3^s,  who  stood  at  the  foot  of  the  Cross  ;  the 
Apostles,  who  had  followed  Him  through  His 
work  ;  and  the  women  who  had  ministered  to 
Him  of  their  substance  ?  And  yet  the  thief  said, 
"  lyORD,  remember  me  when  Thou  comest  into 
Thy  kingdom,"  and  obtained  more  than  he  asked, 
more  than  a  remembrance,  even  a  share  in  that 
kingdom  for  eternity. 

We  may  notice  here  the  clear  distinction  which 


20  The  Words  from  the  Cross. 

our  Lord  by  His  example  draws  between  philan- 
thropy and  charity,  between  the  love  of  men's 
bodies  and  the  love  of  their  souls.  We  hear  in 
these  days  a  great  deal  about  philanthropy,  and 
it  is  very  fitting  that  those  who  know  nothing  of 
the  love  of  God,  and  perhaps  believe  nothing  in 
regard  to  the  soul's  future  in  another  world, 
should  minister  to  the  bodies  of  men,  of  those  who 
are  in  want  and  suffering. 

But  can  we  not  afford  generally  to  leave  this 
kind  of  work  almost  entirely  to  those  who  are  not 
religious  people,  and  who  therefore  would  not 
care  to  v>^ork  for  souls  ?  They  are  a  large,  an 
increasingly  large  class ;  and,  this  being  so, 
should  not  Christians,  who  do  believe  in  God 
and  the  value  of  the  soul  and  its  eternity,  spend 
their  time  and  means  chiefly  in  ministering  to 
men's  souls,  and  not  simply  to  their  bodies — that 
is,  should  they  not  minister  to  their  bodies  only 
as  a  means  of  reaching  their  souls  ? 

When  the  robber  said,  *'  Lord,  remember  me," 
he  was  suffering  the  intensest  agony,  the  pains 
of  crucifixion.  What,  then,  ought  our  Lord  to 
have  done,  according  to  the  views  of  philanthro- 
pists ?  He  should  of  course  have  had  him  taken 
down  from  the  Cross,  and  his  wounds  staunched, 
and  fetched  a  surgeon  to  give  him  an  anodyne  to 
deaden  his  pains  : — that  would  have  been  popular 
philanthropy.     But  our  Lord  was  not  a  philan- 


TJie  Second  Word.  2 1 

thropist  in  that  sense,  and  so  He  left  him  there  to 
suffer,  left  him  there  to  die  ;  because  his  suffer- 
ings were  part  of  the  payment  of  the  penalty  of 
his  sins,  and  because  suffering,  so  far  from  being 
an  evil,  is  perhaps  one  of  the  greatest  and  most 
marvellous  blessings  of  our  life  ; — that  is,  when 
we  bear  our  pain,  as  the  penitent  thief  bore  his, 
as  the  due  reward  of  our  sins. 

Our  lyORD  did  not  take  him  down  from  the 
Cross.  Our  Lord  did  not  by  the  exercise  of 
His  divine  power  cause  his  bonds  to  fall  off. 
He  left  him  there  to  die  ;  but  He  saved  his  soul. 
In  our  Lord's  treatment  of  the  penitent  robber 
we  notice  the  enormous  difference  between  tem- 
poral alleviation  of  pain  and  the  eternal  redemp- 
tion of  the  soul.  One  is  philanthropy,  the  other 
is  charity.  The  one  rightly  belongs  to  the  chil- 
dren of  this  world,  the  other  to  the  children  of 
God. 

In  our  consideration  of  the  First  Word  from  the 
Cross,  we  dwelt  on  some  practical  suggestions  for 
intercessory  prayer.  Let  us  now  briefly  consider, 
under  the  Second  Word,  in  what  ways  we  can 
follow  our  Lord's  example  in  manifesting  our 
love  by  almsdeeds,  or  works  for  others. 

It  is  clear  that  our  Lord,  by  sharing  His  king- 
dom with  a  robber,  sets  before  us  the  duty  of 
sharing  with  others  that  which  God  has  given 
us,  our  kingdom,  that  over  which  we  have  rule — 


22  The  Words  from  the  Cross, 

our  time,  our  money,  our  gifts.  It  would  be  well 
for  us  deliberately  to  decide  how  much  of  each  of 
these  we  can  use  to  the  glory  of  God  in  working 
for  others. 

First,  our  time.  For  what  purpose  was  it  given 
us  ?  Certainly  not  exclusively  for  our  own  selfish 
interests.  Time,  for  each  of  us,  is  that  brief  space 
between  two  eternities,  the  eternity  when  we 
were  not,  and  the  eternity  into  which  we  pass  at 
our  death.  It  is  that  short  season  in  which  we 
are  to  work  out  our  salvation. 

But  our  salvation  depends  not  only  on  the  neg- 
ative abstinence  from  evil,  but  also  on  the  positive 
fulfilment  of  duty  ;  and  our  great  duty  is  to  love 
the  lyORD  our  God  with  all  our  heart  and  with  all 
our  soul  and  with  all  our  mind,  and  our  neighbour 
as  ourself.  We  ought,  therefore,  to  consider 
what  portion  of  our  time  we  can  devote  to  work- 
ing for  God's  glory  and  the  good  of  souls.  In 
this  we  can  certainly  afford  to  be  generous,  when 
we  consider  how  much  time  we  spend  selfishly  on 
ourselves,  and  how  much  more  even  we  waste. 

Then  there  is  the  question  of  money ;  what  pro- 
portion of  our  income  can  w^e  devote  to  God's 
service  ?  We  should  begin  by  realising  the  truth 
of  what  we  often  say  in  the  Service  of  the  Church : 
'  *  All  things  are  of  Thee,  O  Lord,  and  of  Thine 
own  have  we  given  Thee. ' ' 

We  must  remember  that  our  money  is  not  our 


The  Second  Word,  23 

own  to  do  what  we  please  with,  without  responsi- 
bihty  to  anyone,  but  that  in  the  day  when  the 
solemn  words  are  said  to  us,  "  Give  an  account 
of  thy  stewardship,"  one  of  the  things  for  which 
we  shall  have  to  account  most  strictly  will  be,  the 
way  in  which  we  have  used  our  money ; — whether 
our  gold  was  moulded  by  our  almsdeeds  into  a 
crown  of  rejoicing,  or  by  our  selfish  use  of  it  the 
weight  was  cast  which  will  sink  us  into  the  abyss 
of  despair. 

The  proportion  of  income  which  each  can  de- 
vote to  God's  service  must  necessarily  depend  to 
some  extent  upon  the  amount  of  money  God  has 
entrusted  to  his  care.  But  we  may  lay  down  as  a 
minimum  rule  that  it  should  not  be  less  than 
one  tenth.  This  was  God's  command  to  the  Jew, 
and  this  the  Church  has  required  of  her  children. 
Indeed,  we  should  consider  our  tithe  as  scarcely 
more  than  a  debt  due  to  God.  Our  gifts  do  not 
begin  until  after  that  debt  has  been  paid. 

Under  this  head  it  would  be  well  to  read  prayer- 
fully the  third  chapter  of  the  Book  of  the  Prophet 
Malachi,  and  to  observe  that  in  this  prophecy 
God  speaks  of  the  neglect  to  pay  tithes  as  robbing 
Him,  and  as  the  cause  of  the  curse  which  at  that 
time  rested  on  the  Jewish  nation  ;  and  He  further 
promises  a  most  abundant  blessing  if  those  tithes 
are  duly  paid.  The  words  are  :  "  Will  a  man  rob 
God  ?    Yet  ye  have  robbed  Me.     But  ye  say, 


24  The  Words  from  the  Cross, 

Wherein  have  we  robbed  Thee  ?  In  tithes  and 
offerings.  Ye  are  cursed  with  a  curse  :  for  ye 
have  robbed  Me,  even  this  whole  nation.  Bring 
ye  all  the  tithes  into  the  storehouse,  that  there 
may  be  meat  in  Mine  House,  and  prove  Me  now. 
herewith,  saith  the  I^ord  of  hosts,  if  I  will  not 
open  you  the  windows  of  Heaven,  and  pour  -yow. 
out  a  blessing,  that  there  shall  not  be  room  enough 
to  receive  it."     (Verses  8,  9,  10.) 

Moreover,  to  each  of  us  God  has  given  certain 
gifts  or  talents  to  be  used  in  His  service, — in  His 
service,  not  merely  for  our  own  self-interest  ;  and 
many  who  can  give  but  little  in  money  can  do 
much  for  the  Church  and  for  souls  by  using  their 
gifts  in  Church  work. 

Then  again,  as  regards  the  objects  of  our  alms- 
deeds,  we  should  carefully  consider  how  we  can 
bestow  them  to  the  best  advantage,  ever  remem- 
bering that  as  stewards  we  must  use  our  Lord's 
goods  not  wastefully,  but  wisely  ;  and  therefore 
we  must  direct  our  time  and  money  and  talents 
into  such  channels  as  shall  produce  the  best  fruits 
for  God's  glory. 

Here  almost  everyone  would  do  well  to  seek 
advice  from  the  Priest  of  the  parish  ;  for  no  one  is 
likely  to  know  so  well  as  he  does  the  needs  of  his 
work.  How  clearl}^  he  often  sees  where  a  little 
time  or  strength  or  money  would  produce  really 
wonderful  results  for  the  good  of  souls  !    And  how 


TJie  Second  Word.  25 

often  well-meauing  persons,  from  lack  of  that 
knowledge,  waste  these  things  !  sometimes  by 
selecting  unworthy  objects  of  their  charity,  and 
at  others  choosing  work  for  which  they  have  no 
aptitude. 

This  is  especially  the  case  in  regard  to  their 
bestowal  of  money.  How  often  people  give  to 
something  which  takes  their  fancy,  not  to  that 
which  most  needs  their  help  !  sometimes,  alas, 
even  to  that  which  feeds  their  self-importance 
rather  than  to  that  which  feeds  the  hungry  souls 
in  God's  Church. 

We  have  a  most  solemn  warning  against  this 
in  our  Lord's  parable  of  the  Rich  Man  and  Laz- 
arus. What  was  the  sin  of  the  rich  man  ?  It 
was  not  that  he  was  clothed  in  purple  and  fine 
linen  and  fared  sumptuously  every  day  ;  for  that 
belonged  to  his  state  of  life  as  a  rich  man.  Nor 
was  it  that  he  gave  nothing  in  alms  ;  for  as  a  Jew 
he  certainly  gave  his  tenth,  and  there  is  no  reason 
to  suppose  that  he  did  not  as  a  rich  man  contribute 
liberall}^  to  the  claims  of  his  Church  and  of  philan- 
thropy. No  ;  his  sin  lay  in  the  fact  that  he  neg- 
lected the  very  work  of  charity  which  was  lying 
at  his  own  door  ;  and  he  neglected  Lazarus,  be- 
cause, perhaps,  he  was  so  unattractive  in  his  rags, 
so  loathsome  in  his  sores. 

Very  likely  as  he  passed  him  day  by  day  he 
went  into  the  city  and  put  his  name  down  on 


26  The  Words  from  the  Cross. 

subscription  lists  for  large  sums  of  money  ;  and 
doubtless  he  had  his  own  pet  hobbies,  to  which 
he  contributed  liberally, — just  as  people  in  the 
present  day  give  fortunes  to  the  Society  for  the 
Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Animals,  or  to  found  a 
home  for  cats,  but  will  not  give  anything  to  pre- 
vent the  ruin  and  loss  of  souls,  or  to  support  mis- 
sions in  which  the  outcast  may  find  indeed  a 
home  ! 

We  are  distinctly  told  by  our  I^ord  what  was 
the  result  to  the  rich  man  of  neglecting  the  work 
of  charity  at  his  own  door.  It  would  be  well  for 
us  to  coUvSider,  on  a  solemn  occasion  like  this, 
whether  we  are  in  any  danger  of  incurring  the 
same  condemnation. 

Yes,  our  Blessed  I^ord  in  His  Second  Word 
from  the  Cross  teaches  us  how  lovingly  He 
thought  of  the  miseries  of  others,  how  wisely  He 
ministered  to  the  spiritual  needs  of  the  penitent 
robber  ;  and  so  He  sets  us  the  great  example  of 
love  manifesting  itself  in  works  of  charity  on  be- 
half of  the  needy  and  sinful. 


THE  THIRD  WORD. 

' '  WOMAN,  BKHOI.D  THY  SON  !   .   .   .   BKHOLD 

THY  moth:e:r  !  "     S.  /o/m  xzx.,  26,  2y. 

IN  the  First  Word  we  saw  love  expressing  itself 
in  prayer  for  others  ;  in  the  Second,  love  ex- 
pressing itself  in  almsdeeds,  or  work  for 
others.  In  this  Word  we  see  love  manifesting 
itself  in  sympathy  for  others.  First,  there  was 
charity  working  amid  sin  ;  then  charity  bring- 
ing the  sinner  to  penitence  ;  and  then,  in  the 
Third  Word,  charity  amid  the  surroundings  of 
home  and  social  life. 

The  Bride  in  the  Canticles,  speaking  of  her 
home  relations  with  her  Bridegroom,  says,  ' '  His 
banner  over  me  was  love."  And  surely,  in  all 
the  surroundings  both  of  the  home  and  social 
circle,  the  love  of  Christ  should  constrain  us. 
This  should  be  our  motto  :  '  *  His  banner  over  me 
is  love. ' ' 

We  are  taking  the  Seven  Words  as  represent- 
ing the  seven  notes  of  the  diatonic  scale.  This 
Word  would  therefore  correspond  to  *  *  the  third, ' ' 
one  of  the  principal  notes  of  the  scale,  by  which 

27 


28  The  Words  from  the  Cross. 


the  mode  is  decided,  whether  it  be  major  or  minor. 
As  in  the  musical  scale  the  whole  character  both 
of  the  harmony  and  the  melody  depends  on  the 
third  whether  it  be  major  or  minor,  so  the  in- 
fluence and  atmosphere  of  the  home  will  often 
colour  and  change  the  character  of  the  whole  life. 

How  many  lives  are  tinged  with  sadness  or 
sorrow  or  sin,  the  result  of  habits  acquired  in 
childhood  !  How  often  are  imparted  to  after  years 
the  minor  harmonies  of  penitential  mourning, 
ending  with  the  plaintive  cadence  of  the  minor 
mode,  when  the  consequences  to  the  temperament 
or  character  of  the  mistakes  of  early  training  re- 
main to  the  very  end  of  life  ! 

On  the  other  hand,  how  often  we  may  trace  the 
salutary  effects  of  a  healthy  and  joyous  childhood 
in  a  man's  ability  to  meet  and  rise  superior  to 
the  difficulties  and  disappointments  of  after  life  ! 
Yes,  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  all  life's  har- 
monies are  affected  by  the  home  life  of  childhood. 

From  our  Lord's  Third  Word  from  the  Cross, 
read  in  the  light  of  love,  we  may  learn  the  power 
of  sympathy  in  moulding  character,  especially 
sympathy  in  the  home  life  and  in  that  social  bond 
which  we  call  friendship.  Our  Blessed  Lord 
looks  down  from  the  Cross  upon  His  mother  and 
upon  His  friend,  and  though  suffering  so  griev- 
ously Himself,  He  thinks  of  their  sorrows,  and 
by  an  act  of  generous  self-sacrifice  in  surrendering 


TJie  TJiird  Word.  29 

His  mother  and  His  friend,  provides  for  their 
future  happiness  by  binding  them  together  with 
a  new  and  hallowed  bond. 

The  home  life  of  Jesus — how  beautiful  it  had 
been  !  that  home  at  Nazareth,  over  which  the 
banner  of  love  had  been  lifted— that  home  of 
povert}^  in  which  ahvays  the  spirit  of  love  reigned 
— doubtless  the  nearest  glimpse  of  Heaven  that 
could  be  found  anywhere,  at  any  time,  on  this  dark 
earth  ! — that  home  at  Nazareth,  where  for  so 
many  years  Mary  and  Joseph  and  JKSUS  lived  to- 
gether !  Think  of  that  home  when  the  evening 
sun  was  setting  behind  the  hills,  and  jESUS  and 
Joseph,  their  work  in  the  carpenter's  shop  finished 
for  the  day,  came  home,  and  Mary  welcomed 
them.  And  then,  as  Jesus  sat  at  Mary's  feet  and 
rested  His  head  on  her  knee,  and  Joseph  looked 
on  with  love — there  indeed  was  a  glimpse  of  the 
peace  and  happiness  of  Heaven  ! 

And  why  are  not  all  Christian  homes  like  the 
home  of  Nazareth  ?  It  is  only  because  love  is  so 
often  absent,  and  in  its  place  is  found  envy,  jeal- 
ousy, impatience,  selfishness,  the  spirit  of  criticism 
and  wilfulness,  everyone  wanting  to  have  his  own 
way  ;  and  so  the  home  over  which  the  banner  of 
love  should  have  been  lifted  becomes  the  house, 
the  home  of  strife.  Charity  in  home  life  !  All 
those  evil  spirits — envy,  jealousy,  irritability, 
selfishness,  self-will — flee  at  once  before  the  spirit 


30  The  Words  from  the  Cross. 

of  love  ;  just  as  the  shadows  of  night  vanish  be- 
fore the  rising  of  the  morning  sun.  Love  must 
be  the  principle  of  home  life. 

But  our  Lord  looked  down  from  the  Cross  not 
only  upon  His  mother — all  that  was  left  to  Him  of 
the  ties  of  home — but  also  upon  His  friend,  S. 
John.  Next  to  the  sacredness  and  sweetness  of 
home  ties  come  the  bonds  of  true  friendship. 
How  unselfish  it  ought  to  be  !  How  mutually 
stimulating  and  strengthening  !  ' '  Iron  sharpen- 
eth  iron  ;  so  a  man  sharpeneth  the  countenance 
of  his  friend"  (Prov.  xxvii.,  17).  In  these  words 
the  Wise  Man  describes  the  beneficent  power  of 
friendship. 

And  yet,  how  often  it  is  otherwise, — when 
friends  become  a  temptation  to  one  another;  for 
how  many  falls  can  be  laid  at  a  friend's  door  ! 
Or  if  there  be  not  actually  a  fall,  how  often  does 
friendship,  instead  of  sharpening  the  characters 
of  the  friends,  exercise  an  enerv'^ating  effect  on 
both  !  What  is  the  cause  ?  Always  the  same — 
want  of  love ;  that  is,  of  true  love,  which  is  ever 
unselfish,  and  seeks  not  its  own,  but  works  for  the 
good  of  its  friend. 

Our  Lord  looked  down  from  the  Cross  on  His 
mother  and  His  friend,  and  His  love  showed  itself 
in  S3^mpathy  for  their  sorrows.  He  knew  that 
they  each  had  a  cross  to  bear,  for  who  has  not  ? 
Mary's  cross  was  the  sword  that  pierced  her  soul 


The  Tliird  Word.  31 

as  she  saw  her  Son  dying  ;  and  S.  John's — think 
of  his  cross,  as  he  saw  the  best  Friend  that  ever 
man  had  passing  away  from  him  !  They  each 
had  a  heavy  cross  to  bear. 

Our  Lord  spoke  to  them,  expressing  His  sym- 
pathy, and  by  the  unselfish  command  with  which 
He  sent  them  from  the  Cross,  He  bound  them  to- 
gether with  a  new  bond.  To  His  mother  He  said : 
"  Behold  thy  son  !  I  am  taken  away  from  thee  ; 
I  know  the  wound  in  thy  broken  heart.  My 
friend  will  strive  in  some  measure  to  minister  to 
thee,  and  to  bind  up  that  aching  wound."  And 
to  His  friend  He  says :  ' '  Thou  art  losing  One  Who 
is  dearest  to  thee  of  all  in  life.  I  give  thee  in 
My  place  her  who  is  dearest  to  Me,  My  mother, 
to  be  thy  mother,  thy  comfort  and  strength." 
What  a  wonderful  manifestation  of  unselfish  love  ! 

But  what  is  love  ?  The  most  unselfish  of  all 
virtues,  for  it  is  the  outpouring  of  self  upon  an- 
other. In  its  highest  sense,  all  love  must  be  for 
God,  since  our  love  for  our  neighbour  is  but  the 
result  of  our  love  for  God. 

And  what  is  this  love  of  God,  this  charity, 
which  is  the  spring  and  source  of  all  love  ?  Con- 
sidered theologically,  as  inhering  in  our  souls,  it 
is  called  Sanctifying  Grace. 

Every  Sacrament  conveys  two  sorts  of  grace. 
The  first  is  the  grace  of  the  Sacrament,  that  is, 
the  particular  grace  which  is  the  end  or  purpose 


32  The  Words  from  the  Cross. 

of  that  Sacrament,  and  which  can  be  obtained,  so 
far  as  we  know%  in  no  other  way.  Thus,  the  grace 
of  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism  is  Regeneration  ;  of 
Penance,  it  is  Absolution  ;  of  Confirmation,  the 
Gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit  ;  and  so  on.  But  be- 
sides this,  each  Sacrament  alike  conveys  an  in- 
crease of  sanctifying  grace,  and  sanctifying  grace 
is  the  love  of  God  in  the  soul. 

Sanctifying  grace  is  a  quality  inherent  in  the 
soul,  a  ' '  habit ' '  which  remains  in  the  soul  until 
destroyed  by  mortal  sin.  It  is,  as  it  were,  *'  the 
wedding  garment ' '  of  the  soul. 

Where  sanctifying  grace  in  its  fulness  inheres 
in  a  soul,  there  it  is  impossible  for  anything  but 
love  to  exist.  You  cannot  have  heat  and  cold  in 
the  same  place  at  the  same  time.  You  cannot 
have  light  and  darkness  in  the  same  room  at  the 
same  time.  You  cannot  have  love  and  hatred  in 
the  same  heart. 

S.  John  writes  so  emphatically  in  his  First 
Kpistle  that  he  almost  startles  us  by  the  seeming 
passion  with  which  he  says,  "  If  a  man  say,  I  love 
God,  and  hateth  his  brother,  he  is  a  liar  "  (i  S. 
John  iv.,  20).     Yet  this  is  true,  absolutely  true. 

If  a  man  say  that  he  loves  God,  that  he  has 
sanctifying  grace  in  his  soul,  and  really  hates  his 
brother  with  a  mortal  hatred,  he  proves  that  he  is 
self-deceived,  he  proves  that  the  love  of  God 
which  he  thought  was  in  his  soul  is  not  there  ; 


TJie  Third  Word.  33 

for  you  cannot  love  God  without  loving  God's 
creatures.  You  cannot  have  sanctifying  grace 
inherent  in  your  soul  as  the  habit  of  your  spiritual 
life,  as  the  garment  of  your  soul,  without  its  per- 
vading every  action  that  you  do,  and  causing  a 
manifestation  of  love  and  jo}^  and  all  the  Fruits  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  towards  those  with  whom  you 
come  in  contact. 

So  you  see  that  if  j-our  home  is  not  the  abode 
of  love  it  is  not  because  you  do  not  love  one  an- 
other,— that  is  only  a  secondary  cause  ;  it  is  really 
because  3'ou  do  not  love  God.  You  cannot  love 
God  without  loving  one  another. 

When  our  Lord  says,  *  *  Thou  shalt  love  the 
Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  w4th  all 
thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind.  This  is  the  first 
and  great  commandment.  And  the  second  is  like 
unto  it,  Thou  shalt  love  th}^  neighbour  as  thj^self ' ' 
— He  does  not  mean  that  they  are  really  two  com- 
mandments ;  for  the  second  is  only  the  result  of 
the  first. 

Love  that  is  in  your  heart  must  shine  forth 
upon  all  around  j-ou.  You  cannot  bring  a  light 
into  your  chamber  without  its  dispersing  the 
darkness  there.  You  cannot  have  heat  in  your 
room  without  its  driving  out  the  cold.  You  can- 
not have  love  in  your  heart  without  its  pervading 
your  actions,  making  you  gentle,  kind,  and  full 
of  sympathy  for  those  with  whom  you  live. 


34  The  Words  from  the  Cross. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  home  is  the  strength 
of  the  nation.  Certainly  in  most  cases  home  in- 
fluence leaves  its  impression  upon  the  character 
throughout  life  ;  but  the  influence  of  home  life, 
if  it  is  to  be  for  good,  must  be  the  influence  of 
love,  the  influence  of  a  home  where  the  motto  is, 
'  *  His  banner  over  me  is  love. ' ' 

Our  Lord  in  His  Third  Word  on  the  Cross  (the 
third  in  the  diatonic  scale)  shows  us  that  it  is  not 
enough  to  have  love  in  our  prayers  and  in  our 
almsdeeds,  but  that  we  must  have  love  in  our 
home  life,  true  love  in  our  friendships,  bringing 
peace  and  joy  to  all.  So  our  IvORd's  love  of  His 
blessed  mother  and  of  S.  John  manifests  itself  in 
the  precious  legacy  of  these  words,  in  which  He 
sympathises  with  their  sorrows  and  provides  for 
their  happiness  in  the  future. 


THE  FOURTH  WORD. 

"my  god,  my  god,  why  hast  thou  forsakejn 
MK  ?  "     6".  Mark  xv. ,  j/. 

LOVE  triumphing  over  despondency !  *  *  Why 
hast  Thou  forsaken  Me  ?  " — despondency  ; 
"  My  God,  My  God  !  " — love  triumphing 
over  the  despondency. 

Who  is  there  among  us  who  has  not  at  one  time 
or  another  felt  the  bitterness  of  despondency,  of 
spiritual  depression  ?  And  yet  this  like  all  tempt- 
ations, if  it  be  rightly  used,  will  be  made  a  help 
instead  of  a  hindrance  to  our  spiritual  life.  For 
the  true  use  of  depression  surely  is  this,  to  drive 
us  to  God.  When  all  else  fails,  when  the  world 
forsakes  us,  when  those  who  ought  to  help  us 
turn  away  from  us, — then  our  despondency  must 
not  lead  us  to  despair,  but  rather  it  must  drive  us 
to  say,  * '  My  God,  my  God  !  ' ' 

**  Put  not  your  trust  in  princes,  nor  in  any 
child  of  man, ' '  for  you  will  be  disappointed.  Put 
your  trust  in  God,  and  He  will  never  fail  you. 
In  Te  Domine  speravi  ;  non  conf^nidar  in  cBteriium — • 
"  O  Lord,  in  Thee  have  I  trusted;  I  shall  no^vox 
be  confounded ! ' ' 

35 


36  The  Words  from  the  Cross. 

Then,  too,  there  are  times  when  depression 
teaches  us  valuable  lessons.  For  if  we  use  it 
aright  it  teaches  us  three  most  important  things  : 
a  knowledge  of  self,  a  knowledge  of  the  world, 
and  a  knowledge  of  God. 

(i)  It  teaches  us  to  know  ourselves.  It  shows 
us  how  mistaken  we  have  been  about  ourselves. 
For  we  are  constantly  waking  up  to  our  own  sin- 
fulness— those  of  us,  at  least,  who  are  thoroughly 
in  earnest  and  who  are  striving  to  press  forward 
in  the  service  of  God — ' '  I  thought  I  had  made 
such  progress  ;  that  terrible  failure  in  spiritual 
life  shows  me  I  had  not.  I  thought  I  did  so  much 
for  God  ;  and  a  flash  of  God's  light  showed  me 
that  I  did  most  of  it  for  myself. ' ' 

When  we  feel  depressed  and  low-spirited  we 
are  not  likely  to  take  a  very  high  estimate  of  our- 
selves ;  and  it  is  only  when  we  have  reached  the 
very  bottom  of  ourselves,  and  learned  how  little 
good  and  how  much  evil  there  is  in  us,  that  our 
spiritual  life  is  on  a  firm  foundation.  Despondency 
teaches  us  our  weakness  :  "  I  thought  I  was  so 
strong  in  that  particular  virtue  ;  I  failed  in  it.  I 
thought  I  had  that  spiritual  gift,  and  that  was 
just  the  one  I  really  lacked  !  " 

(2)  But  not  only  does  despondency  teach  us  a 
knowledge  of  self ;  it  teaches  us  rightly  to  know 
the  world,  and  to  realise  how  utterly  worthless 
it  all  is.     The  great  instance  of  despondency  in 


The  Fonrth  Word.  37 

the  Old  Testament  is,  of  course,  Elijah.  He  had 
called  upon  God  to  witness  to  the  truth  of  his 
mission  by  sending  down  fire  from  Heaven  to 
consume  the  sacrifice  on  Mount  Carmel,  and  God 
had  answered  his  prayer.  Elijah  had  slain  the 
four  hundred  and  fifty  prophets  of  Baal,  and  ap- 
parently had  won  a  complete  victory  over  idolatry 
in  the  land. 

And  then  it  was,  after  this  glorious  triumph, 
that  he  gave  way  to  despondency.  A  message 
was  brought  him  from  Jezebel  that  she  would 
have  his  life  ;  he  fled  into  the  wilderness,  threw 
himself  down  under  a  juniper-tree  :  "  and  he  re- 
quested for  himself  that  he  might  die  ;  and  said. 
It  is  enough  ;  now,  O  lyORD,  take  away  my  life  ; 
for  I  am  not  better  than  my  fathers."  Like  a 
flash  he  saw  how  worthless  were  the  triumphs  of 
the  world. 

So  we,  too,  in  time  of  depression  learn  to  esti- 
mate the  world  at  its  true  value  and  to  distrust  it. 
The  world  praises  us,  flatters  us,  ministers  to  us 
up  to  a  certain  point  and  so  long  as  we  are  useful 
to  it ;  but  then  it  drops  us.  When  we  feel  low- 
spirited  we  not  only  learn  our  own  weakness,  but 
we  learn  the  world's  utter  worthlessness.  Who 
ever  trusted  in  the  world  without  sooner  or  later 
learning  its  insincerity,  its  utter  nothingness  ? 

(3)  Moreover,  despondency  gives  us  a  know- 
ledge of  God.     For  when  we  are  depressed,  to 


38  The  Words  from  the  Cross, 


whom  can  we  go  but  to  God  ?  So  was  it  with 
Elijah.  When  he  threw  himself  down  under  the 
tree  and  requested  for  himself  that  he  might  die, 
God  did  not  forsake  him,  but  sent  His  angel  to 
minister  to  him. 

So  in  times  of  despondency  must  we  turn  to 
God  and  sa}' ,  ' '  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  Thou 
forsaken  me  ?  ' '  and  then  go  on  to  say,  * '  Though 
He  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  Him  !  My  God, 
I  will  not  let  Thee  go,  except  Thou  bless  me  !  " 
Despondency  reveals  to  us  our  own  weakness, 
the  world's  worthlessness,  and  God's  eternal 
love. 

Yes  ;  and  love  is  the  only  remedy  for  despond- 
ency. When  you  have  failed  in  something  on 
which  you  had  set  your  heart,  and  are  utterly  cast 
down,  try  and  analyse  the  cause  of  your  despond- 
ency. You  will  generally  find  that  it  conies  from 
one  of  three  things. 

First,  very  often  the  despondency  is  physical. 
The  body  has  been  overworked  ;  the  nerves  have 
been  overstrained  ;  there  is  a  reaction.  It  was 
so  with  Elijah.  He  had  stood  all  that  day  on 
Carmel,  displaying  splendid  courage  ;  then  ' '  he 
girded  up  his  loins,  and  ran  before  Ahab  to  the 
entrance  of  Jezreel."  Afterwards  came  his  long 
flight  into  the  wilderness;  and  so  his  body  was 
worn  out  with  the  labour,  and  his  overstrung 
nerves  reacted  from  the  tremendous  strain  which 


The  Fourth  Word.  39 

had  been  put  upon  them,  and  his  depression  was 
intense. 

Very  often  our  despondency  is  physical.  When 
this  is  so,  let  us  remember  that  the  remedy  is  a 
very  humble  and  very  simple  one — food  and  rest. 
God  sent  His  angel  to  Elijah  with  food — a  cake 
baken  on  the  coals,  and  a  cruse  of  water.  Elijah 
rose  and  ate,  and  lay  down  and  slept.  He  fed  his 
body  and  rested  it.  The  physical  despondency 
departed,  and  he  went  in  the  strength  of  that 
food  and  rest  forty  days  and  forty  nights  to  Horeb, 
the  Mount  of  God. 

Secondly,  despondency  often  comes  from  our 
temperament.  Depression  belongs,  of  course,  pe- 
culiarly to  the  melancholic  temperament ;  but  it 
is  found  to  some  extent  in  all  temperaments,  and 
next  to  the  melancholic,  strange  as  it  may  seem, 
it  is  most  often  manifested  in  the  sanguine.  The 
sanguine  man  always  has  his  fits  of  despondency. 
If  you  know  that  you  are  subject  to  fits  of  depres- 
sion, when  you  are  low-spirited  remember  it  is 
only  a  part  of  your  temperament,  and  a  thing 
which  will  pass  away. 

Thirdly — and  this  is,  perhaps,  the  most  import- 
ant point  for  our  consideration  to-day — despond- 
ency is  often  the  result  of  disappointment.  It 
comes  from  failure.  When  our  best  efforts  end  in 
failure,  and  our  fondest  hopes  meet  with  disap- 
pointment, we  are  naturally  despondent. 


40  The  Words  from  the  Cross. 

What  is  the  best  thing  to  do  ?  Go  to  the  Cross 
of  Jesus  Christ.  Let  love  draw  you  there  ;  and 
what  do  you  see  ?  You  see  in  the  Cross — and  we 
need  to  impress  it  upon  ourselves — you  see  in  the 
Cross  the  most  wonderful  failure  that  the  world 
ever  witnessed. 

A  life  which  opened  with  such  splendid  promise ; 
a  life  which  was  unmarred  by  any  mistake, 
untainted  by  any  sin  ;  a  life  which  drew  the  atten- 
tion, commanded  the  respect,  and  won  the  admira- 
tion of  those  who  listened  to  Him — ended  in  the 
failure  of  the  Cross.  Those  for  whom  He  worked 
deserted  Him  ;  those  whom  He  loved  denied,  be- 
trayed, forsook  Him  ;  and  there  in  the  Cross  of 
Christ  you  see  the  most  stupendous  failure  the 
world  has  ever  known — and  yet  it  was  that  failure 
which  redeemed  the  world  ! 

The  power  of  the  Death  of  Christ  has  its  retro- 
spective effect,  so  marvellous,  of  undoing  what  in 
one  sense  cannot  be  undone,  of  unmaking  the 
past,  of  reversing  the  most  serious  acts  of  life.  For 
the  power  of  the  Cross  is  the  power  by  which  our 
failures,  our  sins,  are  undone,  inasmuch  as  they 
are  washed  away. 

What  tremendous  consequences  were  involved 
in  our  sins  !  Yet  from  the  Cross  the  Precious 
Blood  is  applied  to  us  as  individuals  through 
penitence,  our  sins  are  undone,  are  washed  away  ! 
There  is  nothing  else  in  the  world  that  can  undo 


TJie  Fourth  Word.  41 

the  past  but  the  Blood  of  JKSUS,  the  failure  of 
the  Cross, — of  which  S.  Paul  says,  "  The  preach- 
ing of  the  Cross  of  Christ  is  to  them  that  perish 
foolishness. ' ' 

But  our  Lord's  Passion  has  not  only  a  retro- 
spective force  ;  its  power  is  also  prospective,  since 
it  conveys  grace  for  the  future,  and  therefore  hope 
for  the  future.  From  the  Cross  there  comes  par- 
don of  all  past  sin ;  and  from  the  Cross,  too,  flows 
-that  grace  in  the  power  of  which  all  our  future 
life  should  be  lived. 

When  I  am  despondent,  and  the  world  has  dis- 
appointed me  ;  when  my  efforts  have  ended  in 
failure  ;  when  success,  which  seemed  within  my 
grasp,  has  eluded  me,  I  go  to  the  Cross,  and  see 
there  as  in  a  mirror  what  my  life  ought  to  be— a 
life,  perhaps,  of  failure  in  many  things,  but  a  life 
upon  which  the  Blood  of  the  Passion  has  been 
sprinkled,  blotting  out  its  mistakes  and  sins,  and 
giving  me  strength  and  courage,  giving  me  light 
in  darkness,  and  power  to  begin  again. 

**  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  Thou  forsaken 
Me  ?  ' '  The  remedy  for  despondency  is  the  Cross 
of  Jesus  Christ.  Go  and  kneel  down  before  it, 
and  ask  3''ourself  if  an3'-one  has  ever  failed  as  our 
IvORD  seemed  humanly  to  fail,  and  remember  that 
from  His  apparent  failure  sprang  the  greatest 
success  the  world  has  ever  known  ;  and  learn 
from  this  that  the  ' '  failures  ' '  of  your  life  may  be 


42  The  Words  from  the  Cross, 

its  greatest  blessings,  and  that  the  * '  successes ' ' 
of  your  life  may  prove  its  ruin. 

Learn  that  in  the  Cross  there  is  a  mirror  in 
which  you  ought  to  be  able  to  see  yourself  re- 
flected ;  and  if  as  you  kneel  before  the  Cross  you 
perceive  in  yourself  no  signs  of  crucifixion,  then 
be  sure  there  must  be  something  wrong  in  your 
life. 

On  the  octave  of  Easter  Day  S.  Thomas  said, 
' '  Except  I  shall  see  in  His  Hands  the  print  of 
the  nails,  .  .  .  I  will  not  believe."  And  un- 
less you  see  in  your  own  life  the  marks  of  the 
Cross,  you  have  great  reason  to  doubt  whether 
you  are  a  true  follower  of  the  Crucified.  If  you 
know  nothing  of  self-sacrifice  for  the  love  of 
Christ,  nothing  of  struggle,  nothing  of  failure, 
nothing  of  disappointment  for  the  love  of  Christ  ; 
if  the  marks  of  the  Cross  are  not  in  your  hands,  in 
your  feet, — then  you  are  probably  not  a  true  fol- 
lower of  the  Crucified. 

The  world  wears  the  Cross  in  jevv^elled  form. 
The  woman  of  fashion  wears  it  covered  with 
sparkling  diamonds  as  an  ornament  upon  her 
breast ;  but  it  is  the  Cross  which  has  been  burnt 
into  our  lives  that  proves  us  to  be  the  followers 
of  Christ.  The  jewelled  Cross  is  the  true  em- 
blem of  the  world's  religion  ;  the  Cross  in  the  life 
is  the  emblem  of  the  Christian's. 

When  you  suffer  most  from  despondency;  when 


TJie  Fourth  Word.  43 

you  not  only  fail  as  regards  the  world,  but  seem 
to  have  failed,  perhaps,  even  in  your  spiritual 
life  ;  when  your  prayers  seem  cold,  your  Com- 
munions lifeless,  and  God  appears  to  have  with- 
drawn Himself  from  you  ;  then  go  and  kneel  be- 
fore the  Cross,  and  say,  '*  My  God,  my  God, 
though  Thou  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  Thee  ! 
My  God,  my  God,  under  the  shadow  of  Thy 
wings  shall  be  my  refuge,  until  this  tyranny  be 
overpast  !  O  my  God,  the  eloquent  lips  of  Thy 
Wounds  tell  me  of  all  Thy  love  for  me,  and  Thy 
love  for  me  enables  me  to  trust  Thee  in  spite  of 
my  despondency.  Like  Elijah  I  will  arise  in  the 
strength  of  the  Bread  of  Heaven,  the  Holy  Com- 
munion, and  go  on  with  my  journey  ;  and  in  the 
power  of  Thy  love  I  shall  be  able  to  meet  my 
difficulties  and  conquer  them." 


THE  FIFTH  WORD. 
"  I  THIRST."     5.  John  xix.y  28, 

THE  thirst  of  the  body,  how  terrible  it  some- 
times is  !  The  fevered  sufferer  tossing 
upon  the  bed  of  sickness,  moaning,  * '  I  am 
so  thirsty," — the  drunkard,  who  by  indulgence  in 
stimulants  has  immensely  increased  his  thirst, 
and  who  cannot  satisfy  it, — the  shipwrecked  sailor 
in  a  little  boat,  without  water, — all  tell  us  that  the 
most  terrible  of  all  the  appetites  of  the  body,  when 
unsatisfied,  is  the  appetite  of  thirst.  Hunger  is 
terrible,  but  hunger  can  be  endured  far  more 
easily  than  thirst. 

And  is  the  thirst  of  the  soul  less  terrible,  less 
intense  ? — that  craving  which  God  Himself  has 
put  into  our  souls  ?  The  craving  for  what  ?  The 
craving  to  know — the  thinst  of  curiosity.  The 
craving  to  love — the  thirst  of  passion.  The  crav- 
ing to  have — the  thirst  for  possession. 

This  Word  is  the  fifth  note  in  the  diatonic  scale 
of  our  Lord's  Passion  ;  and  the  fifth  is  the  "dom- 
inant ' '  of  the  musical  scale,  so  called  from  its  im- 
portance in  relation  to  the  tonic  or  key-note.     And 

44 


The  Fifth  Word.  45 

our  Lord's  Fifth  Word  surely  suggests  the  ques- 
tion, What  is  the  domi7iant  passion  of  our  soul  ? 
What  is  the  ruling  principle  of  our  life  ?  For 
what  is  it  that  we  thirst  ? 

We  thirst  to  know — to  know  what  ?  Is  it  to 
know  what  the  world  can  teach  us  of  sin  ?  We 
thirst  to  love — to  love  what  ?  What  the  world 
can  give  us  of  creatures — creatures  that  disap- 
point, and  die,  and  pass  away  ?  We  thirst  to 
possess — to  possess  what  ?  The  money  that  the 
world  can  bestow,  which  we  must  leave  behind 
us  when  we  die  ?  the  honours  which  the  world 
can  give  and  so  quickly  take  away  ? 

Or  we  thirst  to  know, — what  ?  God's  truth, 
which  alone  can  satisfy  the  intellect  ?  We  thirst 
to  love, — what  ?  The  most  perfect  Man  that  ever 
lived,  our  Lord  Jksus  Christ  ?  We  thirst  to 
possess, — what  ?  The  God  Who  gives  Himself 
to  us,  and  in  giving  Himself  gives  us  all  things  ? 
the  God  Who  created  our  souls  with  that  intense 
thirst  that  He  might  gratify  it  ? — as  S.  Augustine 
says,  *  *  Thou  hast  made  us  for  Thyself,  and  our 
heart  knoweth  no  rest  until  it  rests  in  Thee."  * 

We  thirst  either  for  the  Creator  or  for  the 
creatures  ;  either  for  that  which  is  eternal  or  for 
that  which  is  temporal ;  either  for  that  which  sat- 

*  **  Fecisti  nos  ad  Te,  et  inquietum  est  cor  nostrum 
donee  requiescat  in  Te." — S.  Aug.  Con/.^  i.,  i. 


46  The  Words  from  the  Cross. 

isfies  or  for  that  which  only  stimulates  our  insati- 
able thirst  without  fully  gratifying  it. 

The  soul  of  man  is  thirsty.  It  is  one  of  God's 
best  gifts  to  the  soul,  that  its  thirst  may  impel  it 
to  seek  God,  by  Whom  alone  the  soul's  thirst 
can  be  satisfied.  For  God  has  said,  ' '  I  will  pour 
water  upon  him  that  is  thirsty,  and  floods  upon 
the  dry  ground  :  I  will  pour  My  Spirit  upon  thy 
seed,  and  My  blessing  upon  thine  offspring ' ' 
(Isa.  xliv.,  3). 

You,  my  brother  or  sister  who  are  spending 
these  three  hours  before  the  Cross  of  JKSUS,  ask 
yourself.  For  what  do  I  thirst  ?  You  know  what 
was  the  thirst  of  our  Lord's  Life  :  it  was  to  do 
His  Father's  Will,  to  finish  His  work.  For 
what  ^oyou  thirst  ? 

Look  around  5^ou  in  the  world,  and  see  the 
various  objects  for  which  men  spend  their  lives, 
for  which  they  thirst.  There  is  the  man  who 
thirsts  to  gratify  his  sensuality  ;  he  is  a  drunkard. 
How  we  pity  him  !  He  is  a  sensualist.  How 
wretched  after  a  while  his  life  becomes  even  here  ; 
and  oh,  how  awful  must  be  his  life  hereafter,  with 
all  those  burning  passions  infinitely  developed  in 
hell,  but  with  nothing  to  satisfj^  them  ! 

Another  man  thirsts  for  money.  Covetousness  ; 
the  one  sin  which,  next  to  pride,  is  the  most 
universal,  and  yet — oh  strange  fact  ! — the  one 
sin  which  scarcely  anyone  recognises  in  himself. 


The  Fifth  Word,  47 

Few  persons  ever  make  their  Confession  without 
confessing  the  sin  of  pride.  Few  persons  who 
make  their  Confession  ever  confess  the  sin  of 
covetousness.  And  yetS.  Paul  says,  "  I  had  not 
known  lust,  except  the  law  had  said,  Thou  shalt 
not  covet"  (Rom.  vii.,  7). 

Next  to  pride  covetousness  is  the  most  univer- 
sal sin.  How  terrible  to  think  that  in  this  you 
may  be  self-deceived  !  You  say,  *'  I  know  I  am 
proud  ;  I  know  I  have  a  bad  temper  ;  I  know  I 
have  a  passionate  nature  ' ' ;  but  when  it  comes  to 
the  Tenth  Commandment,  ''  Thou  shalt  not 
covet  " — "  Well,  no,"  you  say;  "  I  do  not  think 
I  have  broken  that."  It  is  indeed  sad  to  think 
how  often  the  Devil  succeeds  in  deceiving  us,  and 
making  us  believe  that  our  love  of  money  or 
money's  worth  is  not  covetousness  ! 

For  what  do  you  thirst  ?  There  is  the  thirst  of 
the  sensualist.  There  is  the  thirst  of  the  miser. 
There  is  the  thirst  which  is  said  to  be  "  the  thirst 
of  noble  souls," — ambition  ;  the  thirst  of  making 
a  name,  the  thirst  of  power,  the  thirst  of  influ- 
ence !  You  say,  '  *  I  mean  to  use  it  so  well ;  I  love 
to  possess  it  !  " 

Can  any  of  these  various  appetites  be  fully 
gratified  in  this  world  ?  Is  the  sensualist  satis- 
fied ?  Is  the  drunkard  satisfied  ?  No,  the  more 
he  strives  to  gratify  his  appetite,  the  more  he 
adds  fuel  to  the  flames  of  the  desire  which  is  con- 


48  TJie  Words  from  the  Cross. 

suming  him.  Is  the  miser,  gloating  over  his  gold, 
happy  and  satisfied  ?  The  miser  !  From  the 
whole  vocabulary  of  language  the  word  "  miser  " 
— "  the  wretched  one  " — has  been  chosen  to  de- 
scribe this  man,  because  in  the  eyes  of  all  he  is 
so  miserable.  Is  the  statesman  happy,  with  his 
whole  future  trembling  on  a  popular  vote  ? 

Can  any  of  these  quench  the  thirst  of  their  im- 
mortal souls  ?  You  might  as  well  ask  the  ship- 
wrecked mariner,  who,  maddened  with  thirst, 
drinks  copious  draughts  of  sea  water, — only  to 
have  his  thirst  terribly  intensified, — whether  the 
salt  water  satisfies.  One  has  often  read  of  men 
who,  saved  from  shipwreck  on  a  raft  or  boat,  and 
suffering  from  the  pains  of  thirst,  in  spite  of  warn- 
ings have  drunk  the  sea  water  to  quench  their 
thirst,  and  then,  becoming  frenzied  and  insane, 
have  leaped  into  the  deep  and  been  drowned. 

From  such  cases  as  these  we  may  surely  learn 
the  folly  of  those  who  in  this  life  are  striving  to 
satisfy  the  thirst  of  their  immortal  souls  by  sen- 
suality, money,  or  power  ;  who  thus  stimulate 
their  thirst  instead  of  satisfying  it,  and  drown 
their  immortal  souls  in  the  sea  of  creatures  into 
which  they  plunge. 

For  what,  then,  do  you  thirst  ?  Ask  yourself 
this  question  most  solemnly,  in  the  presence  of 
the  Cross  of  our  lyORD  Jesus  Christ,  as  you 
listen  to  that  dying  Word  of  His,  "  I  thirst." 


The  Fifth  Word.  49 

Ask  yourself,  What  is  the  ruling  passion  of 
my  life  ?  Is  it  thirst  for  God  ?  Nothing  but 
that  can  ever  satisfy  me.  Is  it  thirst  for  the 
creature  ?  Is  it  sensuality  in  any  of  its  forms  ? 
What  is  sensuality  ?  It  is  the  development  of 
every  evil  passion  in  our  nature,  without  its  full 
gratification  in  this  life  ;  and  these  passions  will 
be  like  hungry  wolves  yelping  for  food  in  the  life 
to  come,  where  there  is  no  food  for  them.  Think 
of  the  sensualist's  hell  in  eternity — the  hell  he 
made  for  himself  !  Think  of  the  thirst  for  money, 
— and  the  torment  of  the  miser's  hell  !  Think  of 
the  ambitious  man  with  his  thirst  for  power — 
bound  and  chained  in  the  fetters  of  his  sin,  long- 
ing for  power,  but  impotent,  powerless  ! 

The  saint  of  God,  who  thirsts  for  the  glory  of 
God,  thirsts  to  work  in  saving  souls  for  his  God 
— what  is  his  reward  ?  In  this  world  a  life  of 
true  satisfaction,  for  he  drinks  in  as  from  a  river 
streams  of  pleasure,  and  finds  the  grace  of  God 
springing  up  in  him  like  a  well  of  living  water  ; 
and  in  the  life  to  come,  he  will  drink  in  the  Vision 
of  the  Glory  of  God  in  Heaven,  and  join  with 
those  souls  whom  he  has  helped  to  save,  in  sing- 
ing God's  praises  through  the  endless  ages  of  eter- 
nity, happy  with  a  happiness  that  no  human 
tongue  can  describe,  and  no  human  mind  can 
fully  conceive  ! 

What  is  your  ruling  passion  ?    For  what  do 


50  The  Words  from  the  Cross, 

you  thirst  ?  What  is  the  * '  dominant ' '  of  your 
life  ?  What  do  you  think  of  day  after  day  ?  For 
what  do  you  make  sacrifices  ?  You  *  *  rise  early, 
and  late  take  rest,  and  eat  the  bread  of  careful- 
ness,"— and  for  what?  To  make  money?  To 
gain  power  ?     Or  is  it  for  the  glory  of  God  ? 

For  what  does  the  true  Christian  thirst  ? 
Chiefly  for  three  things  :  though  the  three  are 
really  but  one. 

(i)  God  is  the  first  object  of  the  Christian's 
thirst.  "  O  God,  Thou  art  my  God  :  early  will 
I  seek  Thee  :  my  soul  thirsteth  for  Thee. "  "  I^ike 
as  the  hart  desireth  the  water-brooks,  so  longeth 
my  soul  after  Thee,  O  God.  O  how  amiable  are 
Thy  dwellings.  Thou  Lord  of  hosts  !  My  soul 
hath  a  desire  and  longing  "  for  the  living  God. 
Thirst  for  God!  God  made  the  soul  thirsty 
that  He  and  He  alone  might  satisfy  that  thirst. 

The  passion  of  curiosity  which  spurs  men  on 
to  learn  can  be  perfectly  satisfied  only  with  the 
knowledge  of  truth — the  knowledge  of  God  and 
His  revelation.  The  passion  of  love,  the  strongest 
of  all  passions,  can  be  perfectly  satisfied  only  with 
the  love  of  God.  The  passion  of  having,  the 
strange  craving  of  which  I  have  spoken,  the 
passion  of  possessing,  whence  did  it  come  ?  God 
put  it  into  the  soul  when  He  made  the  soul,  be- 
cause He  meant  to  satisfy  it.  God  meant  you  to 
possess — what?      Nothing   less    than    Himself! 


The  Fifth  Word,  51 

The  passion  of  possessing  God  !  * '  God,  Thou 
art  my  God  !  Though  I  walk  through  the  valley 
of  the  shadow  of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil,  for  Thou 
art  with  me  !  The  Lord  is  my  Light  and  my  Sal- 
vation ;  whom  then  shall  I  fear  ?  the  Lord  is  the 
Strength  of  my  life  ;  of  whom  then  shall  I  be 
afraid?" 

The  thirst  of  the  soul  is  satisfied  only  with  God. 
Ask  the  drunkard,  ask  the  sensualist,  ask  the 
miser,  ask  the  statesman,  "  Are  you  happy  ?  " 

Ask  the  saint,  who  has  given  up  all  for  God, 
'  *  Are  you  happy  ?  "  '  *  Happy  !  "  he  replies  ; 
"  words  cannot  tell  the  sweetness  of  possessing 
God  ;  and  happy  as  I  am  in  this  life,  I  know  it  is 
but  a  slight  foretaste  of  the  infinite  happiness  of 
the  life  to  come." 

Ask  the  sensualist,  the  miser,  the  statesman, 
what  he  thinks  about  the  life  to  come, — what  he 
expects  to  find  there.  '*  Oh,  perhaps  there  is  no 
life  to  come, ' '  he  says  ;  "  or  at  least  I  do  not  wish 
to  think  of  it."  The  pagan  poet  of  old  said,  Non 
omnis  vioria^' — "  I  shall  not  wholly  die."  But  the 
men  of  whom  we  speak  will  wish  in  vain  that  they 
could  wholly  die,  that  they  might  be  annihilated  ; 
for  they  have  developed  in  their  souls  a  thirst 
which  in  its  insatiableness  will  be  their  misery 
throughout  eternity  ! 

(2)  And  secondly,  there  is  the  thirst  ior  perfec- 
tion.    God  meant  man  to  be  perfect.     God  said 


52  The  Words  from  the  Cross. 

to  Abram,  in  His  great  revelation  at  Mamre,  **  I 
am  the  Almighty  God  ;  walk  before  Me,  and  be 
thou  perfect''  (Gen.  xvii.,  i).  Man  has  fallen,  but 
God  still  means  him  to  be  perfect.  Our  I^ord 
said  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  "  Blessed  are 
they  that  do  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteous- 
ness ' '  (that  is,  after  perfection)  ;  "for  they  shall 
be  filled. "  It  is  His  promise.  And  what  is  per- 
fection ?  Perhaps  you  say,  ' '  Oh,  I  can  never 
hope  to  be  perfect  !  I  am  so  conscious  of  failure, 
of  sin  !  I  must  take  a  lower  standard  of  conduct 
than  perfection — much  lower  !  ' ' 

But  there  is  no  standard  that  you  can  take,  ex- 
cept the  imitation  of  Christ.  Our  Lord  said, 
' '  Learn  of  Me  ;  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart  : 
and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls."  If  you 
take  Christ  as  your  standard,  Christ  was  per- 
fect ;  and  He  said  to  you  in  this  same  Sermon  on 
the  Mount,  "  Be  ye  therefore  perfect,  even  as  your 
Father  Which  is  in  Heaven  is  perfect."  Thus 
thirst  for  perfection  is  thirst  for  God. 

(3)  Then,  we  thirst  to  become  like  God.  '*  As 
for  me,  I  will  behold  Thy  Presence  in  righteous- 
ness :  and  when  I  awake  up  after  Thy  Likeness, 
I  shall  be  satisfied  with  it "  (Ps.  xvii.,  16). 

The  soul  that  thirsts  for  perfection  finds  in  this 
life  a  most  intense  interest  in  seeking  perfection. 
As  the  man  of  business,  or  the  man  of  science,  or 
the  statesman  finds  great  interest  in  working  out 


TJie  Fifth  Word.  53 

his  plans  and  reaching  his  goal,  so  the  Christian 
finds  an  all-absorbing  interest  every  day  in  striv- 
ing after  perfection,  that  is,  in  striving  to  be  like 
Christ. 

If  we  take  a  lower  standard,  how  monotonous 
does  spiritual  life  become  !  But  when  we  hunger 
and  thirst  after  righteousness,  then  every  day  has 
a  new  interest,  calls  for  a  new  effort  to  become 
more  like  Christ,  more  like  God.  And  ' '  it  doth 
not  yet  appear  v/hat  we  shall  be  :  but  we  know 
that,  v/hen  He  shall  appear,  we  shall  be  like  Him  ; 
for  we  shall  see  Him  as  He  is  "  (i  S.  John  iii.,  2). 

Moreover,  this  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteous- 
ness has  its  gratification  even  now  in  feeding  upon 
God.  Oh,  the  joy  of  our  Communions,  the  satis- 
faction of  finding  our  meat  in  doing  His  Will,  in 
finishing  His  work  !  Do  we  hunger  and  thirst  for 
our  Communions,  or  are  they  mere  acts  of  obedi- 
ence ?  Do  we  come  only  because  it  is  our  rule  to 
come,  and  because  we  are  afraid  to  stay  away  ? 
Or  do  we  come  becau.se  we  are  athirst  for  God, 
saying,  ''  My  soul  is  athirst  for  the  living  God  ; 
in  my  Communions  I  receive  my  God  into  my- 
self" ?  And  then,  do  we  thirst  to  do  His  work, 
to  glorify  Him  ? 

"  I  thirst."  The  fifth  note  of  the  scale  of 
Christ's  Passion  ;  the  dominant,  the  ruling  pas- 
sion, that  which  detennines  life  here  and  life  here- 
after !     What  is  the  ruling  passion  of  my  life  ?     Is 


54  The  Words  from  the  Cross, 

it  the  world,  or  is  it  God  ?  Is  it  the  creatures,  or 
is  it  the  Creator  ?  Is  it  to  satisfy  my  lower  nature, 
or  is  it  to  develop  my  spiritual  life  ?  Is  it  to  get 
away  from  God  now,  or  is  it  to  dwell  ever  in  His 
Presence  ? 

"  Blessed  are  they  that  dv/ell  in  Thy  House  : 
they  will  be  alway  praising  Thee.  Blessed  is  the 
man  whose  strength  is  in  Thee  :  in  whose  heart 
are  Thy  ways.  Who  going  through  the  vale  of 
misery  use  it  for  a  well  :  and  the  pools  are  filled 
with  water.  They  will  go  from  strength  to 
strength:  and  unto  the  God  of  gods  appeareth 
every  one  of  them  in  Sion." 

This  w^orld  is  the  vale  of  misery  ;  but  if  we 
thirst  for  God  we  can  use  it  for  a  well,  and  so  go 
on  from  strength  to  strength,  until  we  stand  be- 
fore the  God  of  gods  in  the  heavenly  Sion. 


(< 


THE  SIXTH  WORD. 
IT  IS  FINISHED."     5.  John  xix.,  30. 


THE  weary  hours  have  almost  passed  ;  the 
watch  by  the  Cross  is  nearly  over  ;  and  we 
hear  our  Lord's  triumph  cry,  '*  It  is  fin- 
ished !  "  He  looked  back  from  that  watch-tower 
of  the  Cross,  over  all  the  long  years,  the  three 
and  thirty  years  of  His  life  on  earth.  Before 
Him  passed  in  review  all  the  work  that  He  had 
come  to  do,  all  the  work  that  He  had  accom- 
plished ;  and  He  bore  witness  of  it  all  in  the 
words,  ' '  It  is  finished. ' ' 

We  are  told  that  when  God  had  finished  His 
work  of  creation  on  the  sixth  day.  He  saw  all  that 
He  had  made,  "  and,  behold,  it  was  very  good." 
So,  in  the  new  creation  of  grace,  our  Lord  in  the 
Sixth  Word  looks  back  on  all  that  He  came  to 
do,  and  says  of  it,  "  It  is  finished."  All  is  done  ; 
all  is  perfect.  He  had  accomplished  His  Fathejr's 
Will  ;  He  had  redeemed  the  world  ;  He  had  left 
the  only  faultless  example  of  a  perfect  life.  "  It 
is  finished. ' ' 

55 


56  The  Words  from  the  Cross. 

And  we,  as  we  look  back  upon  our  life  to-day, 
— what  can  we  say  ?  Can  we  say  ' '  It  is  finished ' '  ? 
What  is  finished  ?  For  some  of  us,  the  best  part 
of  our  life  is  past ;  the  best  years  of  our  life  are 
gone.  Our  opportunities  for  the  most  part  are 
over  ;  we  cannot  bring  them  back,  if  we  would. 

And,  then,  our  sins  !  Can  we,  as  we  look  up 
at  that  dear,  dying  Face,  with  its  crown  of  thorns, 
the  Face  of  the  Beloved  of  our  soul — can  we 
through  God's  infinite  love  take  to  ourselves  His 
Words,  and  say  of  some  of  our  sins,  "  They  are 
finished  ;  I  will  never  do  them  again — never  ! 
They  have  been  blotted  out  in  His  precious 
Blood  ;  that  part  of  my  life  is  finished  ;  thank 
God,  it  \s finished''  f 

Again  ;  Lent,  this  Lent  is  finished.  Has  it 
been  the  best  Lent  of  our  lives  ?  Some  of  you, 
perhaps,  may  be  able  to  say,  *'  Yes  ;  the  very 
best."  But  with  others  perhaps  it  has  been  a 
constant  fighting  against  God's  pleadings, — the 
worst  Lent  of  your  life.  Or,  it  may  have  been 
just  an  ordinary  Lent,  spent  somewhat  carelessly. 
Whatever  it  has  been,  it  is  finished  !  In  a  few 
minutes  the  clock  will  strike,  and  Lent  will  be 
over  ; — "  It  is  finished  !  " 

And  then  we  shall  be  thinking  of  a  grave  ;  a 
grave  with  a  stone  upon  it,  and  a  seal  upon  the 
stone.  Who  was  buried  there  ?  Our  Lord  and 
Saviour  jKsus  Christ. 


The  Sixth  Word,  57 

And  what  have  we  buried  with  Him  ?  Have 
we  buried  our  sins  in  His  grave  ?  Have  we  buried 
our  prejudices,  those  prejudices  which  have  so 
often  held  us  back  from  following  Him  ?  Have 
we  buried  them  with  Christ  ?  If  so,  we  have 
laid  the  best  foundation  we  could  lay  for  the 
future  ;  and  on  the  foundation  of  the  mistakes 
and  sins  and  wrongs  of  the  past,  buried  with 
Christ,  there  may  yet  rise  a  fair  and  beautiful 
spiritual  house,  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  eter- 
nal joy  of  your  own  soul. 

Can  we  say,  you  and  I,  as  we  kneel  to-day  be- 
fore the  Cross,  ''  My  past  life  is  finished.  Its 
mistakes,  its  sins,  its  prejudices  are  gone  forever  ; 
and  on  their  ruins  I  will  build  a  new  life  in  the 
spirit  of  love  ' '  ?  Love  has  been  the  key-note  of 
all  our  Meditations  to-day ! — love  in  prayer,  mani- 
festing itself  by  praying  for  all  the  world  ! — love 
in  almsgiving,  manifesting  itself  by  self-sacrifice 
for  others  ! — love  in  family  life,  expressing  itself 
through  sympath3^  ! — love  in  despondency,  tri- 
umphing over  depreSvSion  ! — love,  the  ruling  pas- 
sion of  life,  thirsting  for  God  !  And  now  our 
thought  is  of  love  impelling  us  to  build  upon  the 
ruins  of  the  past  a  home  for  God  in  our  own  soul, 
a  home  where  God  may  dwell  with  us  and  we 
with  Him. 

We  have  but  a  few  minutes  left,  and  must  pass 
quickly  over  this  Word  ;  but  we  may  find  a  help- 


58  The  Words  from  the  Cross, 

fill  illustration  of  its  teaching  in  the  history  of  the 
planet  on  which  we  live.  You  know  that  in 
geology  we  divide  the  history  of  organic  life  in 
this  planet  into  three  well-defined  periods,  which 
we  call  Primary,  Secondary,  and  Tertiary  ;  or 
Palaeozoic,  Mesozoic,  and   Kainozoic. 

Of  these  perhaps  the  Primary  period  is  the  most 
interesting  and  most  easily  studied.  It  began  with 
the  lyaurentian  rocks, — so  called  because  they  are 
found  in  perhaps  their  greatest  area  along  the 
banks  of  the  S.  I^aurence, — containing  the  first 
germ  of  organic  life,  the  Kozoon  Canadense,  an 
organism  so  tiny  that  some  scientists  still  deny 
that  it  was  the  product  of  life.  For  thousands  of 
years  these  animalculae  went  on  building  up  the 
immense  masses  of  lyaurentian  rock.  Then  came 
the  Cambrian  period,  with  a  further  development 
of  life.  The  Silurian  followed,  with  its  abundance 
of  life — in  the  waters,  fish  ;  on  the  land,  reptiles. 
Next  came  the  Devonian,  or  Old  Red  Sandstone. 

And  then,  bursting  into  vigour  and  splendour, 
came  the  Carboniferous  period,  when  the  whole 
world  seemed  like  a  tropical  zone  teeming  with 
vegetable  life.  Great  trees  rose  to  the  height  of 
sixty  or  seventy  feet,  and  then  fell  by  their  own 
weight.  In  the  Carboniferous  period  the  world 
seemed  to  have  reached  a  time  of  productive 
activity  which  promised  splendid  things  in  the 
near  future. 


The  Sixth  Word.  59 

Then  followed  the  Permian  period,  when  all 
the  promises  seemed  to  have  failed,  and  the  im- 
mense productive  activity  of  the  Carboniferous 
period  seemed  to  have  worn  itself  out, — a  period 
of  volcanic  action,  ending  with  wreck  and  ruin, 
when  the  Carboniferous  vegetation  was  buried, 
and  the  earth  became  one  vast  desert,  almost  as 
ban'en  as  when  the  lyaurentian  period  began. 

If  anyone  could  have  lived  in  those  days,  what 
bitter  disappointment  would  have  filled  him  when 
that  teeming  vegetation  ended  in  utter  barren- 
ness, and  was  all  buried  beneath  the  Permian 
rocks  !  The  Permian  period  was  like  a  chilly 
winter  succeeding  some  glorious  summer.  It  was 
like  the  twilight  of  the  Palaeozoic  day.  It  was 
like  the  stubble  in  the  field,  which  has  to  be 
turned  under  by  the  plough  that  it  may  make 
way  for  a  new  verdure. 

The  winter  of  the  Permian  period  came  ;  and 
then — then  the  spring  of  a  new  age.  For  the 
Permian  rocks  were  the  foundation  of  the  glorious 
world  in  which  we  live, — the  ruins  forming  the 
solid  foundation  upon  which  all  that  we  now  have 
was  to  be  built.  But  the  Permian  period  was 
more  than  that ;  for  we  need  heat  in  this  rapidly 
cooling  planet  of  ours  ;  and  whence  do  we  get 
it  ?  From  the  coal-fields  of  the  Carboniferous 
period.  We  dig  down  among  the  ruins  of  the 
past,  beneath  the  Permian  foundation,  and  bring 


6o  The  Words  from  the  Cross. 

up  the  coal  which  supplies  us  now  with  light  and 
heat. 

So  it  is  in  our  spiritual  life.  There  are  gener- 
ally two  great  conversions  of  the  soul.  The  first 
is  the  conversion  of  the  soul  to  self, — ^when  a  very- 
earthquake  takes  place  in  our  nature,  which  re- 
veals the  hidden  things  of  the  soul,  and  wakes  us 
up  to  a  realisation  of  its  possibilities,  and  we  begin 
to  live  a  spiritual  life,  largely  for  the  happiness 
which  that  spiritual  life  brings  ; — when  the  soul 
is  absorbed  in  its  own  progress,  and  measures  all 
things  by  the  sensible  delight  obtained  from 
them  ; — when  it  loves  to  go  and  work  for  God, 
and  make  sacrifices,  because  all  these  things  bring 
to  it  an  increasing  satisfaction. 

This  goes  on,  generally,  for  many  3^ears  ;  but 
gradually  the  satisfaction  begins  to  wane,  and  the 
joy  and  sweetness  of  prayer  passes  away,  and 
winter  with  its  cold  and  frost  seems  to  hold  the 
soul  in  its  icy  grasp  : — it  is  the  Carboniferous 
period  of  the  soul's  life. 

Then  there  comes,  as  it  were  another  earth- 
quake in  our  nature,  and  a  lightning-flash  of  God's 
own  light  reveals  to  us  a  self  of  which  we  never 
dreamed,  and  we  see  in  ourselves  an  insincerity 
which  we  never  suspected.  We  learn  how  unreal 
much  of  our  spiritual  life  has  been  ;  how  much 
that  we  thought  was  done  for  the  glory  of  God 
was  really  for  the  gratification  of  self ;  and  that 


The  Sixth  Word.  6i 

the  joy  we  experienced  in  prayer  was  not  the  joy 
of  serving  God  so  much  as  the  joy  which  God 
bestowed  upon  us  to  encourage  us  in  our  first 
efforts  to  pray. 

We  see,  in  this  new  light,  how  we  had  simply 
shifted  many  of  our  ambitions  from  the  sphere  of 
the  world  into  the  sphere  of  the  spiritual  life. 
This  is  the  Permian  period,  when  much  that 
seemed  beautiful  dies  down,  and  on  the  ruin  we 
slowly  begin  to  lay  the  true  spiritual  foundations 
of  our  life. 

This  is  the  second  conversion,  the  conversion 
from  self  to  God.  "  O  God,  Thou  art  my  God  !  " 
we  say.  * '  My  God  and  my  All,  I  love  Thee  not 
for  Thy  gifts  alone,  but  for  Thyself ;  and  as  Thou 
withdrawest  from  me  the  gift  of  sensible  devo- 
tion, I  desire  to  rest  more  and  more  in  Thee 
alone.  O  God,  send  me  what  Thou  wilt,  do  with 
me  what  Thou  wilt,  for  I  know  Thou  lovest  me  ! 
Send  me  joy  or  sorrow,  for  Thou  knowest  what  is 
best  for  me  !  Take  away  from  me  all  that  Thou 
seest  to  be  displeasing  to  Thee  !  Send  me  what- 
ever cross  Thou  knowest  to  be  good  for  me  ! 
Lord,  help  me  to  live  not  for  m5^self,  but  for 
Thee  alone."  My  brother,  have  you  reached  this 
period  ?  Have  you  known  this  second  conver- 
sion ? 

And  then,  in  regard  to  the  past,  you  say  to  me, 
"It  is  finished.     Is  it,   then,   all  lost?     Those 


62  The  Words  from  the  Cross. 

sweetnesses  of  my  first  fervours,  when  God  seemed 
so  near  to  me,  and  my  soul  seemed  to  be  on  fire 
with  love  of  Him  ; — is  all  that  lost  ? ' '  No,  none 
of  it  is  lost.  God  has  built  up  the  earth  as  it  is 
now  for  man's  habitation,  and  yet  how  much  we 
depend  upon  the  past  !  What  could  we  do  with- 
out our  coal  ?  All  our  manufactures  would  come 
to  a  standstill.  At  night-time  we  should  be  in 
utter  darkness.  All  our  heat  and  winter's  warmth 
would  disappear. 

So  it  is  in  the  life  of  the  soul.  From  among  the 
ruins  and  mistakes  of  the  past  we  find  two  im- 
portant things. 

First,  we  find  light,  which  enables  us  to  deal 
with  the  difficulties  of  the  present  in  the  light  of 
past  experience  ;  and  this  is  no  small  gain.  How 
many  mistakes  we  made,  which,  now  that  we 
know  that  they  were  mistakes,  we  shall  never 
make  again  !  Secondly,  we  get  that  which  is  far 
greater,  we  get  heat  ;  for  the  recollections  of  past 
mercies,  of  sins  forgiven,  of  mistakes  which  God 
has  enabled  us  to  correct,  of  all  the  blessings  of 
the  past — these  are  the  fuel  by  which  we  keep 
alive  in  our  hearts  the  fire  of  Divine  love  ! 

Being  what  we  are  by  God's  grace,  we  shall 
not  wish  to  forget  what  we  were  by  our  own  sin  ; 
and  when  we  are  discouraged  by  the  difficulties 
of  the  present,  the  remembrance  of  God's  love  in 
the  past,  and  of  all  the  trials  and  dangers  through 


The  Sixth  Word.  63 

which  He  guided  us  safely,  will  be  the  best  stimu- 
lus to  renewed  effort. 

But  the  past  has  not  been  all  mistakes  and  sins. 
We  find  in  it  many  treasures  of  God's  love,  on 
the  remembrance  of  which  we  can  feed  ;  many 
joys  of  Communion  with  Him,  many  answers  to 
prayer,  much  spiritual  happiness.  And  when  we 
are  in  depression  or  trouble,  we  may  recall  these 
experiences,  and  say  in  the  words  of  the  Psalmist, 
* '  When  I  am  in  heaviness,  I  will  think  upon 
God  :  when  my  heart  is  vexed,  I  will  complain. 
Thou  boldest  mine  eyes  waking  :  I  am  so  feeble 
that  I  cannot  speak.  I  have  considered  the  days 
of  old  :  and  the  years  that  are  past.  I  call  to  re- 
membrance my  song :  and  in  the  night  I  commune 
with  mine  own  heart,  and  search  out  my  spirit. 
Will  the  IvORD  absent  Himself  for  ever  :  and  will 
He  be  no  more  entreated  ?  Is  His  mercy  clean 
gone  for  ever  :  and  is  His  promise  come  utterly  to 
an  end  for  evermore  ?  Hath  God  forgotten  to  be 
gracious  :  and  will  He  shut  up  His  loving-kind- 
ness in  displeasure  ?  And  I  said.  It  is  mine  own 
infirmity  :  but  I  will  remember  the  years  of  the 
Right  Hand  of  the  Most  High.  I  will  remem- 
ber the  works  of  the  Lord  :  and  call  to  mind  Thy 
wonders  of  old  time  "  (Ps.  Ixxvii.,  3-1 1). 

We  are  told  in  the  Gospels  of  a  woman  who  was 
a  sinner, — she  is  now  one  of  the  greatest  saints, 
and  Churches  are  dedicated  in  her  honour, — but 


64  The  Words  from  the  Cross. 

who  did  what  she  could  in  the  way  of  penitence, 
for  she  confessed  her  sin  before  men,  and  washed 
our  Lord's  feet  with  her  tears.  We  are  told  that 
JKSUS  said  of  her  that  she  loved  much  because  her 
sins,  which  were  many,  were  forgiven.  So  the 
recollection  of  God's  forgiveness  of  past  mistakes 
and  past  sins  can  be  thrown,  as  it  were,  upon  the 
fire  of  Divine  love  in  our  soul,  to  make  it  leap  into 
a  blaze  and  kindle  our  whole  being  with  its  flame. 

The  history  of  God's  works,  written  in  the  book 
of  nature,  is  often  analogous  to  His  work  in  our 
souls.  When  we  reach  our  Permian  period,  and 
the  fervour  of  our  first  conversion  begins  to  grow 
cold,  and  the  fruits  which  we  seemed  to  bring 
forth  so  plentifully  begin  to  wither,  let  us  take 
courage  as  we  remember  that  the  twilight  and 
even  the  darkness  must  generally  come  before  the 
glorious  dawn  of  that  better  day  in  this  life,  when 
we  are  more  entirel}^  God's  ;  when  we  work  for 
Him  and  suffer  for  Him  quite  indifferent  to  sensi- 
ble devotion  or  any  other  such  gift  which  He  may 
bestow,  seeking  only  to  do  His  Will  and  so  to 
glorify  Him,  and  confident  that  in  doing  this  we 
are  really  growing  in  perfection,  and  preparing 
for  the  final  happiness  of  Heaven. 

"  It  is  finished," — n^  life  so  far.  The  past  is 
gone  ;  I  cannot  recall  it.  So  far  as  it  was  evil,  I 
can  blot  out  its  guilt  through  the  Blood  of  JKSUS. 
But  its  recollections,  even  of  sins  and  of  mistakes, 


TJie  Sixth  Wo7'd.  65 

shall  only  be  the  fuel  of  my  love,  the  stimulus  of 
my  hope.  Its  ruins,  like  those  of  the  Permian 
period,  shall  be  the  solid  foundation  on  which  I 
will  build  for  eternity  ! 


THK  SEVKNTH  WORD. 

*'  FATHER,    INTO  THY  HANDS  I  COMMAND  MY 

SPIRIT."     S.  Luke  xxiii.y  <f.6. 

THE  seventh  and  last  Word  of  our  Blessed 
Lord  on  the  Cross  ! 

It  is  the  peculiar  function  of  "  the  sev- 
enth "  in  music  that,  where  not  interrupted  by  a 
discord,  it  demands  at  once  a  return  to  the  tonic, 
or  key-note,  and  hence  it  is  known  as  the  leading 
note  of  the  key.  So,  when  our  Lord  utters  His 
Seventh  Word,  * '  Fa  ther,  into  Thy  Hands  I 
commend  My  Spirit, ' '  the  seventh  carries  us  back 
at  once  to  the  key-note,  the  First  Word  of  love, 
''Father,  forgive  them  ;  for  they  know  not  what 
they  do." 

We  have  been  drawing  near  to  the  Cross  to-day 
that  in  the  light  of  Christ  we  might  see  light  ; 
and  His  light  has  been  the  light  of  love.  In  the 
light  of  love  we  have  read  each  Word,  and  learned 
our  duty  in  regard  to  Prayer,  Almsgiving,  Home 
Life,  Despondency,  the  Ruling  Passion  of  Life, 

66 


The  Seventh  Word.  67 

and  New  Beginnings.  And  now  in  the  last  Word, 
in  the  light  of  love,  we  learn  the  lesson  of  all 
lessons,  the  lesson  of  trust  in  God. 

Our  lyORD,  Whose  life  has  been  one  long  act  of 
obedience  and  love,  ends  it  with  an  act  of  trust : 
"  Father,  into  Thy  Hands  I  commend  My 
Spirit."  How  often  we  need  to  say  these  words  ! 
Not  only  at  the  hour  of  our  death,  when  we  com- 
mend our  spirit  to  God  Who  gave  it, — but  daily, 
in  our  difficulties,  in  our  sorrows,  in  our  failures, 
in  our  temptations,  we  need  to  say,  ' '  Fathkr,  I 
leave  it  all  in  Thy  Hands.  This  difficulty,  out  of 
which  I  cannot  see  the  way, — Thou  canst  make 
it  plain.  This  sorrow,  which  seems  so  crushing, 
— in  union  with  the  Cross  of  Thy  dear  Son  it  be- 
comes a  blessing.  This  temptation,  which  seems 
so  hard  to  struggle  against, — in  the  power  of  His 
Passion  I  know  it  can  be  conquered.  Father, 
into  Thy  Hands  I  commend  myself  in  all  things. 
I  will  trust  God,  because  I  know  that  He  loves 
me.  I  trust  Him,  because  He  is  my  Father, 
and  I  love  Him." 

Of  the  Gifts  of  the  H01.Y  Ghost,  the  second 
— ^beginning  from  the  lowest — which  we  some- 
what unfortunately  call ' '  true  godliness, ' '  is  really 
filial  love  {pietas).  Pietas  is  the  childlike  spirit 
of  perfect  trust  in  God  and  love  for  God,  because 
God  is  our  Father  and  therefore  loves  us.  Our 
lyORD  said,   *'  Except  ye  be  converted,  and  be- 


68  The  Words  from  the  Cross. 

come  as  little  children,  ye  cannot  enter  into  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven ' '  ;  and  the  first  virtue  of 
childhood  is  trustfulness.  A  child  is  not  worried 
about  the  future,  or  anxious  about  providing  food 
and  raiment.  It  trusts  its  parents  to  supply  these 
things.  A  child  is  not  frightened  in  time  of 
danger,  if  only  its  father  is  near.  A  child  will 
follow  its  father  through  darkness,  which  to  it  is 
often  terrible,  if  only  it  can  put  its  hand  in  its 
father's  and  feel  his  grasp. 

Next  to  trustfulness,  and  springing  from  it, 
the  great  virtue  of  childhood  is  obedience.  A 
child  does  what  it  is  told  by  its  father  without 
questioning,  because  it  trusts  its  father. 

So  let  us  end  our  Meditations  on  these  Words 
from  the  Cross,  considered  in  the  light  of  love,  with 
this  last  thought :  that  God  is  our  Father  ;  that 
He  loves  us  far  better  than  we  can  love  ourselves  ; 
and  that  we,  as  His  children,  must  love  Him,  and 
therefore  trust  Him  and  obey  Him  in  all  things. 

Obey  Him — we  must  keep  His  Commandments  ; 
not  only  some  of  them,  but  all  of  them.  **  If  ye 
love  Me, ' '  our  lyORD  said,  '  *  keep  My  Command- 
ments "  (S.  John  xiv.,  15).  At  the  beginning  of 
their  spiritual  life  people  sometimes  make  the 
great  mistake  of  thinking  that  they  will  obey 
God  in  some  things,  but  not  in  all  things  ;  that 
they  will  keep  some  of  His  Commandments,  and 
some  of  the  Precepts  of  His  Church,  where  they 


TJie  Seventh  Word.  69 

are  not  too  hard,  but  not  all  His  Commandments, 
nor  all  the  Precepts  of  His  Church. 

Our  Lord  said,  *'  If  ye  love  Me,  keep  My 
Commandments"  ;  and  you  say,  "Yes,  but  I 
have  not  strength  sufficient  to  keep  them  all. 
Some  of  them  are  so  hard,  involve  such  sacrifices, 
require  such  self-denial  ;  and  I  am  so  weak  !  " 
Why  do  you  say  this  ?  Shall  I  tell  you  ?  It  is 
because  you  do  not  trust  God.  If  you  really  trust 
Him  you  will  be  sure  that  God,  Who  is  your 
Father  and  Who  gave  you  the  Commandments, 
will  also  give  you  grace  to  keep  them. 

Moreover,  this  lack  of  perfect  obedience,  which 
proceeds  from  want  of  perfect  trust,  also  implies 
a  lack  of  perfect  faith.  For  if  we  believe  in  God 
— that  He  is  omniscient,  omnipotent,  and  that  He 
loves  us — we  cannot  but  trust  Him  perfectly  ;  for 
His  omniscience  involves  His  knowledge  of  all 
things,  and  therefore  He  knows  our  needs  and 
sorrows  and  trials  ;  that  He  is  omnipotent  proves 
that  He  is  able  to  help  us  to  the  uttermost ;  and 
His  love  assures  us  that  He  will  help  us  in  each 
difficulty,  if  it  be  for  our  good.  If  God  is  not 
omniscient,  omnipotent,  and  love,  He  is  not 
really  God,  but  some  imperfect  being  Hke  our- 
selves. 

And  so  we  end  our  Meditations  with  this  last 
Word, — an  act  of  trust  in  God.  When  difficulty 
or  temptation  or  sorrow  or  failure  is  my  lot,  let 


70  The  Words  from  the  Cross. 

tne  resolve  to  go  to  the  Cross  and  listen  to  these 
Words,  "  Father,  into  Thy  Hands  I  commend 
My  Spirit ' '  ;  and  then  let  me  take  them  upon  my 
lips,  and  leave  myself  in  God's  Hands.  Let  me 
say,  '*  In  Thee,  O  Lord,  have  I  trusted  ;  I  shall 
never  be  confounded  !  The  Lord  is  my  Light 
and  my  Salvation  ;  whom  then  shall  I  fear  ?  The 
Lord  is  the  Strength  of  my  life  ;  of  whom  then 
shall  I  be  afraid  ?  O  tarry  thou  the  Lord's  lei- 
sure :  be  strong,  and  He  shall  comfort  thine  heart; 
and  put  thou  thy  trust  in  the  Lord.  ' ' 

We  cannot  end  our  Meditations  on  these  words 
to-day  better  than  by  fixing  our  gaze  upon  a  scene 
probably  unfamiliar  to  most  people,  and  yet  one 
of  the  most  dramatic  vScenes  in  history. 

On  the  shores  of  the  Straits  of  Messina  are  two 
rocks,  Scylla  and  Charybdis,  one  on  either  side 
of  the  straits  ;  and  upon  the  rock  of  Scylla  there 
was  once  a  fortress,  looking  down  in  its  mighty 
strength  upon  the  swirling  tide  in  the  straits  be- 
low. Go  and  see  it  to-day  ;  it  is  strangely  silent. 
The  fortress  is  ruined  and  deserted  ;  the  only 
sound  is  the  throb  of  the  waves  as  they  surge 
upon  the  shore. 

One  hundred  years  ago  it  was  the  scene  of  a 
terrible  disaster.  Calabria,  as  some  of  you  per- 
haps know,  is  one  of  the  spots  where  earthquakes 
are  most  frequent,  and  in  1783  one  of  the  most 
awful  earthquakes  that  have  been  known  oc- 
curred upon  that  spot. 


The  Seventh  Word.  71 


Riiffo,  Prince  of  Scylla,  was  in  the  fortress,  an 
aged  and  pious  man  who  trusted  in  God  ;  and 
when  shock  after  shock  caused  the  fortress  to 
quake  upon  its  foundations,  and  the  village  be- 
neath to  tremble,  the  people  poured  out  in  terror 
to  the  strand,  embarking  in  boats  ;  but  the  aged 
Prince  determined  that  he  would  spend  the  last 
moments  of  his  life  in  the  chapel  of  the  fortress, 
before  the  crucifix.  He  went  into  the  chapel,  and 
kneeling  before  the  crucifix,  waited  for  the  end. 

His  thought  was  to  die  at  the  foot  of  the  Cross. 
But  presently  his  courtiers  came  and  begged  him 
to  fly.  '  *  Most  of  the  people, ' '  said  they,  ' '  have 
reached  the  shore  and  are  in  the  boats.  It  is  but 
a  little  way — there  is  a  boat  waiting  for  thee  ! 
Thou  canst  be  saved  if  thou  wilt  fly  !  "  He  lis- 
tened, and  reluctantly  rising  from  his  knees,  was 
hurried  to  the  shore  and  into  the  boat.  There  in 
boats  on  the  strand  of  Sc3dla  were  some  two  thou- 
sand five  hundred  people,  the  entire  population  of 
the  place.  Presently,  there  was  another  earth- 
quake shock,  with  a  strange  disturbance  of  the  sea; 
then  boats  and  people  were  swallowed  in  the 
billows  and  all  perished  !  The  fortress  began  to 
crumble  ;  but  there  still  stands  untouched  to-day, 
as  it  stood  then,  the  chapel  with  the  crucifix. 
Had  the  Prince  remained  at  the  foot  of  the  Cross, 
he  would  have  been  saved  !  * 

*  Istoria  de'  fenortieni  del   Tremoto  avvenuto  nelle 
Calabrie  neW  anno  1783.    Napoli,  1784,  pages  225,  226. 


72  The  Words  from  the  Cross. 

Can  I  leave  with  you  a  more  helpful  thought  ? 
You  and  I,  my  brethren,  will  have,  perhaps, 
many  an  earthquake  to  withstand  before  this  life 
shall  end,  many  a  shock  that  shall  cause  our  very 
nature  to  tremble.  But  when  such  shocks  occur, 
whether  the  convulsion  be  mental,  through 
doubts,  or  physical,  in  suffering  and  pain,  or 
from  the  pressure  of  the  world  around  us — what- 
ever it  be,  remember  that  the  place  of  safety  is 
not  on  the  waves  of  the  world,  but  at  the  foot  of 
the  Cross. 

In  every  earthquake  of  our  nature  ;  in  every 
sorrow  and  pain  and  trial  ;  in  every  difficulty,  let 
us  remember  the  last  Word  from  the  Cross, 
"  Fathkr,  into  Thy  Hands  I  commend  My 
Spirit, ' '  and  say,  ' '  My  God,  in  Thee  have  I  put 
my  trust  !  Be  merciful  unto  me,  O  God,  be 
merciful  unto  me,  for  my  soul  trusteth  in  Thee  ; 
and  under  the  shadow  of  Thy  Wings  shall  be  my 
refuge,  until  this  tyranny  be  overpast." 

Kneel  at  the  Cross  beneath  those  outstretched 
Arms,  those  Wings  under  which  our  I^ord  would 
gather  you.  His  children  !  I^ook  up  at  Him  ! 
lycarn  of  His  love, — He  died  for  you  !  Learn  of 
His  power, — by  His  Death  He  redeemed  you  ! 
And  then  resolve  that  nothing  shall  draw  you 
away  from  the  Cross  ;  and  say  with  S.  Paul,  **  God 
forbid  that  I  should  glory,  save  in  the  Cross  of 
our  Lord  Je^sus  Christ  ;  by  Whom  the  world  is 


TJie  Seventh  Word.  73 

crucij&ed  unto  me,  and  I  unto  the  world."  Look 
up  at  the  Cross,  and  learn  there  the  lesson  of  love 
and  sin,  two  forces  of  life  ever  in  conflict  ;  learn, 
too,  that  in  the  Cross  love  will  ever  triumph, 
and  that  in  the  Cross  you  will  always  find  a  haven 
of  refuge. 


e;astbrtide  addresses. 
I. 

THE  POWER  OF  LOVE. 

"  AND  VKRY  KARI,Y  IN  THE  MORNING  THE  FIRST 
DAY  OF  THE  WEEK,  THEY  CAME  UNTO  THE 
SEPUIyCHRE  AT  THE  RISING  OF  THE  SUN. 
AND  THEY  SAID  AMONG  THEMSEI.VES,  WHO 
SHAI.I,  ROI^I,  US  AWAY  THE  STONE  FROM  THE 
DOOR  OF  THE  SEPUIyCHRE  ?  "  S.  Mark  xvi., 
2.3- 

I.  CouivD  any  sight  be  more  pathetic? — three 
poor  women  stealing  along  the  deserted  streets  of 
the  sleeping  city  while  it  was  yet  dark,  on  the 
first  Easter  Day ;  three  poor  women  bringing 
their  gifts  to  the  Dead,  carrying  with  them  the 
spices  which  they  had  prepared  to  anoint  the 
Body  of  Him  they  loved. 

And  as  they  stole  along  in  the  twilight  they 
asked  one  another  a  question,  "Who  shall  roll 
us  away  the  stone  from  the  door  of  the  sepulchre  ? ' ' 
Who,  indeed  ?  For  not  only  was  the  stone  great 
and  too  heavy  for  them  to  move,  but  the  soldiers 
were  watching  it,  so  that  they  could  not  appeal  to 
friendly  hands  to  help  them. 

74 


The  Pozver  of  Love.  75 

How  hopeless  seemed  their  quest  !  And  hope, 
we  are  told,  is  the  spring  of  all  human  action. 
But  it  is  not  the  only  spring,  for  there  is  one 
which  is  stronger  even  than  hope — love.  And  in 
the  touching  scene  we  have  described,  we  see 
love  triumphing  over  hope,  love  triumphing  over 
difficulties,  love  triumphing  over  apparent  im- 
possibiHties.  So  that,  as  the  last  thought  of  Good 
Friday  was  the  greatness  of  love,  the  first  revela- 
tion of  Baster  Day  tells  us  of  its  power. 

How  wonderful  is  the  power  of  love  !  How  ab- 
solutely without  limit  !  We  are  familiar  with  the 
phrase  "  hoping  against  hope,"  but  is  there  not 
something  greater  than  this — love  triumphing 
over  despair  ? 

They  asked  one  another,  ' '  Who  shall  roll  us 
away  the  stone  ?  "  There  was  no  answer,  yet  it 
did  not  discourage  or  daunt  them.  They  went 
on,  for  love  knows  nothing  of  impossibilities.  It 
is  deterred  by  no  obstacles.  How  pathetic  !  how 
unreasoning  does  their  love  seem  as  they  carry 
their  offerings  to  the  Dead,  when  it  must  have 
seemed  impossible  for  them  to  reach  the  Dead  ! 
The  stone,  the  guard,  would  stop  them. 

*  *  Who  shall  roll  us  away  the  stone  ? ' '  they 
asked,  and  looking  up  they  saw  that  the  stone 
was  rolled  away.  While  S.  Mark  alone  tells  us 
of  the  question  of  the  women,  each  of  the  Evan- 
gelists dwells  on  the  fact  that  the  stone   was 


76  Eastertide  Addresses. 

rolled  away,  and  S.  Matthew  tells  us  that  there 
had  been  ' '  a  great  earthquake  :  for  the  Angel  of 
the  Lord  descended  from  Heaven,  and  came  and 
rolled  back  the  stone  from  the  door,  and  sat  upon 
it"  (S.  Matt,  xxviii.,  2). 

And  yet,  in  spite  of  their  question  and  per- 
plexity, the  women  seem  to  have  taken  it  as  a 
matter  of  course  when  they  found  the  stone  rolled 
away.  It  was  the  beginning  of  a  day  of  wonders, 
and  this,  the  first,  does  not  seem  even  to  strike 
them  with  astonishment,  for  love  takes  marvels 
for  granted. 

II.  All  over  the  world  this  morning  in  the 
early  twilight  groups  of  men  and  women  might 
have  been  seen  making  their  way  through  the 
silent  streets  of  many  and  many  a  city.  Whither 
were  they  going  ?  What  was  their  errand  ?  What 
brought  them  out  at  so  early  an  hour  ?  Rich  and 
poor,  high  and  low,  all  alike  were  seeking  the 
Body  of  Chris'T. 

And  like  the  holy  women,  they  brought  the 
spices  w^hich  they  had  prepared  by  I^enten  fast 
and  penitence,  not  to  anoint  the  dead  Body,  but 
to  lay  at  the  feet  of  the  risen  Christ  the  offering 
of  themselves,  their  souls  and  bodies  ;  impelled  by 
that  same  power  which  drew  the  holy  women  to 
the  tomb — the  power  of  love. 

But  as  they  wended  their  way  this  morning 
through  the  silent  streets,  their  thoughts  were  not, 


The  Power  of  Love.  yj 

"  Who  shall  roll  us  away  the  stone  ?  "  for  they 
knew  it  had  been  rolled  away.  Their  thoughts 
were  of  a  living  I^ord,  Who  should  meet  them 
upon  His  Altar-Throne  ;  and  of  a  new  tomb  which 
they  had  been  striving  to  prepare  in  their  hearts 
for  Him  ;  perhaps  too  of  a  seal  and  a  watch — the 
seal  of  some  firm  resolution,  the  great  fruits  of 
their  I^enten  discipline,  and  the  watch  which  they 
would  keep  lest  any  enemy  should  come  to  steal 
from  their  hearts  the  grace  of  their  Communion. 

HI.  And  so  the  first  Kaster  lives  on,  as  Calvary 
lives  on.  But  what  are  its  lessons  ?  The  lessons 
of  the  Resurrection  are  many,  but  surely,  one 
thing  which  the  rolling  away  of  the  stone  teaches 
us  is  the  power  of  hope  and  of  love. 

i.  It  tells  first  of  the  rolling  away  of  the  stone 
oi  sin.  Before  our  I^ord  rose,  on  the  first  Kaster 
Day,  how  heavy,  how  hopeless  was  the  load  of 
sin  borne  by  the  human  race,  weighing  down  the 
heart  of  every  child  of  Adam  !  "  Who  shall  roll 
it  away  ?  ' '  had  been  the  cry  of  every  age,  and  the 
answer  had  been  essayed  by  many  a  philosopher, 
b}^  many  a  religious  teacher  among  the  heathen, 
and  among  God's  own  people  by  patriarch, 
prophet,  priest  ;  all  in  turn  had  tried,  all  had 
promised  help,  all  alike  had  failed  !  How  heavy 
that  stone  had  become  !  How  great  the  misery 
of  man  !  How  hopeless  that  cry,  **  Who  shall 
roll  us  away  the  stone  ?  " ! 


78  Eastertide  Addresses. 

And  now  the  question  is  answered — an- 
swered for  ever.  He  Who  rose  through  the 
sealed  stone  has  sent  His  Angel  to  roll  it  away. 
How  many  of  those  who,  like  the  women  of  old, 
come  seeking  Christ  in  the  early  dawn  of  Easter 
Day,  could  tell  from  their  own  sweet  experience 
how  God's  Messenger  had  rolled  away  the  stone 
of  sin  from  their  hearts  and  lives,  bringing  them 
the  message  of  peace,  ' '  Thy  sins  are  forgiven 
thee:  go  in  peace" — "By  Christ's  authority 
committed  unto  me  I  absolve  thee  from  all  thy 
sins  ! ' ' 

And  so  they  come  not,  like  the  women,  with 
heavy  hearts,  driven  by  love  to  seek  Him  Whom 
they  thought  still  dead, — but  with  joyous  heart 
and  light  step  they  come  to  seek  Him  Who  is 
alive  for  evermore,  to  feed  upon  Him,  to  enter  into 
the  joy  of  His  Resurrection,  as  the)''  have  striven 
in  Holy  Week  to  enter  into  the  fellowship  of  His 
Sufferings  (Phil,  iii.,  lo).  Surely,  this  is  the  first 
lesson  which  the  rolling  away  of  the  stone  sug- 
gests. 

ii.  But  there  is  another  stone  which  was  rolled 
away  on  Easter  Day — not  only  the  stone  of  sin, 
but  of  the  wages  of  sin — death. 

Think  what  death  meant  before  Christ  had 
risen  from  the  dead  ! — death  so  dark,  so  gloomy, 
so  dreadful !  It  is  true  there  had  been  a  glimmer- 
ing of  immortality  among  the  heathen,  but  it  was 


The  Power  of  Love.  79 

only  a  vague  hope  ;  a  little  more  than  this  existed 
indeed  among  the  Jews,  but  even  with  them  it 
was  not  general,  for  the  Sadducees  believed  not 
in  any  resurrection. 

And  so  men  looked  forward  to  death  as  per- 
haps the  end  of  all  things,  or  at  best  the  begin- 
ning of  an  unknown  experience,  of  a  dark  and 
mysterious  world  beyond,  where,  if  there  were 
any  existence,  it  was  but  shadowy  and  unreal. 

Think  of  the  despair  with  which  the  mother  of 
old  saw  her  child  die,  lost  to  her  as  it  seemed  for 
ever  !  Think  of  the  grief  which  the  parting  and 
separation  of  death  then  brought  into  each  family  ! 
The  stone  of  death  was  indeed  great  and  heavy — 
so  great  that  men  scarce  dared  to  ask,  as  they  did 
of  sin,  **  Who  shall  roll  it  away  ?  " 

But  on  Easter  Day  there  came  a  new  revelation. 
Death  has  been  conquered  by  dying,  and  He  Who 
is  its  Conqueror  proclaims,  "  I  am  He  That  liveth, 
and  was  dead  ;  and,  behold,  I  am  alive  for  ever- 
more, Amen :  and  have  the  keys  of  hell  and  of 
death"  (Rev.  i.,  18). 

And  so  the  stone  was  rolled  away.  For  w^hen 
He  overcame  the  sharpness  of  death,  He  opened 
the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  to  all  believers  ;  and  now, 
instead  of  being  the  gloomy,  heavy,  hopeless 
stone  it  had  been,  weighing  upon  man's  heart 
and  mind  and  life,  death  becomes  the  open  door 
which  invites  the  poor  captive  to  leave  his  prison 


8o  Eastertide  Addresses. 

and  enter  into  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  endless 
life. 

From  being  the  extinction  of  man's  hopes,  it 
becomes  the  beginning  of  a  new  life  so  glorious, 
so  happ3^  that  the  Spirit  saith,  "  Blessed  are  the 
dead  which  die  in  the  IvORD  from  henceforth.  .  .  . 
that  they  may  rest  from  their  labours  ;  and  their 
works  do  follow  them"  (Rev.  xiv.,  13). 

iii.  And  may  we  not  draw  one  more  lesson 
from  the  question,  "  Who  shall  roll  us  away  the 
stone?" — a  lesson  of  encouragement  in  all  the 
difficulties  of  life  ?  What  difficulty  could  have 
been  greater,  what  obstacle  more  hopeless  than 
that  to  which  the  women  looked  forward  as  they 
wended  their  way  to  the  tomb  ?  But  they  do  not 
seem  to  have  thought  for  one  moment  of  stopping 
or  going  back.  They  went  forward,  and  their 
love  was  rewarded,  for  they  found  the  difficulty 
removed  by  an  Angel  hand. 

So  it  was  with  God's  people  of  old  v/hen  they 
encamped  at  Baal-zephon  on  the  shore  of  the  Red 
Sea,  and  the  cry  arose  that  the  Egyptians  were 
upon  them.  Before  the  Israelites  was  the  cruel 
sea, — behind  them  their  still  more  cruel  foes. 
Escape  was  impossible.  Their  case  seemed  hope- 
less. But  at  this  crisis  the  word  of  the  Lord 
came  unto  Moses  saying,  ' '  Speak  unto  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel,  that  they  go  forward"  (Ex.  xiv., 
15).    As  they  went  forward  the  path  was  opened 


TJie  Power  of  Love. 


for  them  through  the  surging  waters,  and  they 
passed  across  the  Red  Sea  on  dry  land. 

Yes,  this  is  the  lesson  of  all  lessons  which  we 
are  taught  to-day — the  duty  of  going  forward. 
When  diflSculties  are  in  our  path  and  there  seems 
to  be  no  human  help,  we  must  go  forward,  rely- 
ing upon  the  help  of  God.  And  as  the  Israelites 
found  the  waters  of  the  Red  Sea  rolled  back 
before  their  feet,  and  the  women  found  the  stone 
rolled  away  from  the  tomb,  so  will  the  Christian 
who  goes  forward  in  the  power  of  faith,  hope,  and 
love,  find  every  difficulty  yield  before  him. 

Easter  after  Easter  this  scene  is  repeated,  as 
those  who  love  Christ  go  early  on  Easter  morn- 
ing to  seek  Him  in  the  Sacrament  of  His  love. 
May  Easter  after  Easter  in  your  lives,  dear  chil- 
dren of  Christ,  tell  of  greater  faith,  of  brighter 
hope,  of  deeper  love,  and  of  the  nearer  approach 
of  that  glad  Easter  when  you  shall  hear  the  wel- 
come of  your  EoRD,  "  Come,  ye  blessed  of  My 
Father,  inherit  the  Kingdom  prepared  for  you 
from  the  foundation  of  the  world  "  (S.  Matt,  xxv., 
34). 

6 


(< 


II. 

THK  KARTHQUAKK. 

AND,  BE^HOI^D,  THKRK  WAS  A  GRKAT  KARTH- 
QUAKK :  FOR  THE  ANGKI.  OF  THK  I.ORD  DK- 
SCKNDFD  FROM  HFAVFN,  AND  CAMF  AND 
ROI.I.FD  BACK  THK  STONK  FROM  THK  DOOR, 
AND  SAT  UPON  IT. ' '      6*.  Matt.  xxviU. ,  2. 


IN  studying  the  records  of  our  Lord's  Life 
which  we  find  in  the  four  Gospels,  we  often 
notice  that  one  Evangelist  seems  to  have  been 
particularly  impressed  by  some  circumstance  or 
detail  which  the  others  pass  over  in  silence,  evi- 
dently because  it  did  not  so  deeply  impress  them. 
Our  text  is  an  illustration  of  this,  for  it  is  S. 
Matthew  alone  who  records  the  strange  convul- 
sions of  nature  which  accompanied  our  Lord's 
Death  and  Resurrection. 

While  S.  Mark  and  S.  Luke,  by  mentioning  the 
rolling  away  of  the  stone,  imply  that  there  was  an 
earthquake  at  the  Resurrection,  S.  Matthew  alone 
actually  tells  us  that  it  happened  ;  and  he  alone 
of  all  the  Evangelists   records   the  earthquake 

82 


TJie  EartJiquake,  83 

which  took  place  at  the  moment  of  our  Lord's 
Death,  when  "  the  veil  of  the  temple  was  rent  in 
twain  from  the  top  to  the  bottom  ;  and  the  earth 
did  quake,  and  the  rocks  rent  ;  and  the  graves 
were  opened  ;  and  many  bodies  of  the  Saints 
which  slept  arose,  and  came  out  of  the  graves 
after  His  Resurrection,  and  went  into  the  Holy 
City,   and  appeared  unto  many"  (chap,  xxvii., 

51-53)- 

I.  From  his  mention  of  the  earthquake  on  these 

two  occasions  we  may  surely  gather  that  S.  Mat- 
thew was  very  deeply  impressed  by  it.  He  couples 
the  earthquake  at  the  Resurrection  with  the  rolling 
away  of  the  stone  from  the  tomb  by  the  Angel. 
I<et  us  consider  what  lesson  we  may  learn  from 
this  detail  of  the  story  of  the  Resurrection. 

The  earth  had  shuddered  with  horror,  when  our 
lyORD  died,  at  the  crime  which  had  been  committed 
by  man  ;  but  at  the  time  of  His  Resurrection  the 
earth  vibrated  with  joy  at  His  victory  over  death. 
And  indeed  an  earthquake  was  a  fit  accompani- 
ment to  our  Lord's  Resurrection,  since  every 
resurrection  seems  to  be  associated  with  a  com- 
motion or  upheaval  of  nature. 

i.  For  we  are  distinctly  told  that  there  was  an 
earthquake  at  our  Lord's  Resurrection.  And  all 
the  Evangelists,  in  recording  our  Lord's  great 
prophecy  in  regard  to  the  Last  Day,  tell  us  that 
at  the  General  Resurrection  there  will  be  great 


84  Eastertide  Addresses. 

disturbances  of  the  powers  of  nature,  which  shall, 
as  it  were,  herald  the  approach  of  our  Lord  to 
judge  the  risen  dead.  And  in  S.  John's  Vision 
recorded  in  the  Revelation  we  read  :  ' '  The  seventh 
Angel  poured  out  his  vial  into  the  air  ;  and  there 
came  a  great  voice  out  of  the  temple  of  Heaven, 
from  the  throne,  saying,  It  is  done.  And  there 
were  voices,  and  thunders,  and  lightnings  ;  and 
there  was  a  great  earthquake,  such  as  was  not 
since  men  were  upon  the  earth,  so  mighty  an 
earthquake,  and  so  great  "  (chap,  xvi.,  17,  18). 

ii.  A  similar  occurrence  may  be  observed  in  the 
life  of  man,  that  is,  in  the  spiritual  resurrection  of 
the  sinner.  For  when  a  man  in  penitence  first 
turns  from  sin  and  is  converted  to  God,  he  gen- 
erally experiences  an  intense  struggle,  the  birth- 
pains,  as  it  were,  of  a  new  life.  There  is  an 
earthquake,  as  it  were — an  upheaval  of  his  whole 
nature. 

The  effort  to  repent  requires  an  intense  strug- 
gle ;  the  energy  needed  to  cast  out  the  evil  that  is 
in  him,  to  break  loose  from  the  bonds  of  sin  which 
hold  him  back  from  God,  to  give  up  once  and  for 
all  much  that  has  been  pleasant  in  his  past  life,  to 
accept  the  humiliation  which  is  necessary  to  secure 
assurance  of  pardon  through  that  Absolution 
which  frees  the  sinner  from  his  bondage  ; — all  this 
implies  a  very  earthquake  in  the  sinner's  nature. 
And  this  earthquake,  like  that  of  which  we  are 


TJie  EartJiqiiakc.  85 

told  on  Easter  Day,  is  followed  by  joyous  calm, 
and  is  the  prelude  of  a  glorious  peace. 

Who  is  there  who,  on  looking  back  upon  the 
time  when  he  first  really  gave  himself  to  God, 
cannot  recall  this  experience  ?  It  seemed  so  diffi- 
cult to  make  the  necessary  sacrifices, — indeed,  it 
appeared  to  be  almost  impossible !  All  the  powers 
of  his  nature  seemed  out  of  course. 

But  when  by  the  help  of  God's  Holy  Spirit 
he  had  made  his  first  great  act  of  repentance,  there 
was  a  calm,  a  peace,  a  joy  of  which  the  first  Easter 
Day  is  a  fitting  type,  and  which  was  in  itself  a 
foretaste  of  that  great  Easter  Day  of  eternal  peace, 
when  the  risen  saint  shall  enter  into  the  fulness 
of  the  joy  of  his  Lord. 

II.  But  while  an  earthquake  may  accompany 
each  resurrection  from  the  dead — whether  it  be 
that  spiritual  resurrection  from  sin  which  takes 
place  in  this  life  or  that  resurrection  to  glory 
which  belongs  to  the  life  to  come — we  must  bear  in 
mind  that  a  resurrection  is  always  a  manifesta- 
tion of  God's  own  power,  and  always  bears  wit- 
ness to  His  agency. 

Our  Lord,  being  God  (as  we  must  ever  remem- 
ber), rose  again  by  His  oivn  poiver^  so  that  He 
needed  no  Angel  to  roll  back  the  stone  ;  indeed  He 
had  risen  before  the  stone  was  rolled  back,  for  He 
rose  through  the  sealed  stone.  He  foretold  this 
of  Himself  in  the  allegory  of  the  Good  Shepherd, 


86  Eastertide  Addresses. 

when,  speaking  of  the  way  in  which  the  Good 
Shepherd  laid  down  His  Life  for  His  sheep,  He 
said,  "  I  have  power  to  lay  it  down,  and  I  have 
power  to  take  it  again." 

And  S.  Peter,  in  his  first  speech  on  the  Day  of 
Pentecost,  directs  attention  to  this  Divine  power 
of  our  Blessed  Lord,  when  he  says  :  *  *  Whom 
God  hath  raised  up,  having  loosed  the  pains  of 
death  :  because  it  was  not  possible  that  He  should 
be  holden  of  it."  Our  Lord  could  not  be  holden 
by  death,  because  He  is  God. 

Every  resurrection,  then,  is  a  manifestation  of 
God's  power,  for  no  man  can  raise  himself  from 
a  state  of  death,  whether  it  be  physical  or 
spiritual. 

As  we  study  our  Lord's  miracles  of  raising  the 
dead  we  notice  this  in  every  case.  It  is  JKSUS 
who  says  to  the  maiden,  "  Talitha,  cumi;  .  .  . 
Damsel,  I  say  unto  thee,  arise. "  It  is  He  Who 
at  the  gates  of  Nain  says  to  the  dead  man  carried 
out  to  be  buried,  "  Young  man,  I  say  unto  thee, 
arise."  It  is  our  Lord's  power  that  penetrates 
the  tomb  at  Bethany,  when  He  cries  with  a  loud 
voice,  "  Lazarus,  come  forth." 

And  the  same  is  true  not  only  of  resurrection 
from  physical  death,  but  also  of  resurrection  from 
spiritual  death.  It  is  God  alone  Who  can  forgive 
sin.  The  scribes  were  right,  therefore,  when 
they  asked,   ''  Who  can  forgive  sins  but  God 


The  EartJiqiiake.  87 

only  ?  "  But  they  were  wrong  when  they  refused 
to  recognise  that  Christ  was  God. 

And  we  may  trace  the  same  law  everywhere  in 
the  kingdoms  both  of  nature  and  grace. 

Many  years  ago  men  thought  that  they  had  dis- 
covered what  they  called  "  spontaneous  genera- 
tion,' '  that  is,  the  power  of  dead  matter  of  itself  to 
generate  life.  But  numberless  experiments  made 
since  then  by  eminent  scientists  have  shown  that 
this  was  entirely  erroneous,  and  that  only  life  can 
produce  life. 

The  sinner  who  is  dead  in  sin  has  no  more 
power  of  himself  to  rise  from  his  sin  than  the  man 
who  has  paid  the  penalty  of  nature  by  death  has 
power  to  return  to  life. 

But  the  sinner  can  do  something  ;  he  can  yield 
himself  to  the  promptings  of  grace,  and  co-operate 
with  God  ;  but  the  first  motions  of  grace  in  his 
dead  soul  must  come  from  God.  The  H01.Y 
Spirit,  Who  is  the  Lord  and  Life- Giver,  must 
first  kindle  in  him  the  spark  of  spiritual  life  which 
afterwards  enables  the  man  to  rise  from  the  death 
of  sin. 

III.  Again,  we  may  observe  that  though  our 
Lord  needed  no  Angel  to  roll  away  the  stone 
from  His  tomb  in  order  that  He  might  rise — for 
He  had  risen  before  the  Angel  removed  the  stone 
— yet  it  was  absolutely  necessary,  in  order  that 
pis  Disciples  and  followers  might  know  that  He 


88  Eastertide  Addresses. 


was  risen,  that  the  stone  should  be  removed  and 
the  emptiness  of  the  tomb  revealed. 

The  sending  of  the  Angel,  therefore,  to  roll 
away  the  stone,  was  for  the  sake  of  those  who 
came  seeking  our  Lord's  dead  Body  on  Easter 
Day.  It  was  to  them  an  assurance  that  He  had 
risen  ;  for  the  Angel  not  only  rolled  away  the 
_stone,  but  announced  the  fact,  * '  He  is  not  here  : 
for  He  is  risen,  as  He  said.  Come,  see  the  place 
where  the  Lord  lay." 

Have  we  not  in  all  these  circumstances  of  our 
Lord's  Resurrection  a  striking  analogy  to  God's 
method  of  dealing  with  man  in  raising  him  from 
the  state  of  sin  to  the  life  of  righteousness  ? 

i.  The  first  motions  of  spiritual  resurrection,  as 
we  have  pointed  out,  must  come  from  God, 
must  be  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in 
the  sinner's  soul.  And  the  man's  will  must  co- 
operate with  these  impulses  of  grace.  But  some- 
thing more  than  this  is  needed  to  prevent  self-de- 
ception on  the  one  hand  or  despondency  on  the 
other. 

Most  men  know  how  little  they  can  really  trust 
their  own  subjective  feelings.  The  work  of  peni- 
tence may  be  real  ;  a  man  may  have  corresponded 
to  grace  and  made  a  perfect  act  of  contrition,  such 
as  would  be  sufficient  to  ensure  his  forgiveness  and 
(therefore)  his  spiritual  resurrection  ;  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  he  may  be  deceiving  himself  all  th^ 


The  Earthquake,  89 

time,  and  mistaking  his  own  easy-going  forgive- 
ness of  self  for  God's  forgiveness  of  sin. 

To  meet  this  danger  God  has  willed  that  man 
should  have  something  more  than  his  own  self- 
assurance  on  which  to  depend  for  his  hope  of 
pardon,  and  has  instituted  in  His  Church  the 
sacramental  power  of  Absolution  ;  He  "  hath 
given  power,  and  commandment,  to  His  Ministers, 
to  declare  and  pronounce  to  His  people,  being 
penitent,  the  Absolution  and  Remission  of  their 
sins."  That  is,  He  has  sent  the  Priests  of  His 
Church  as  His  ambassadors  or  messengers  {^oty- 
yeXoi)  to  roll  away  the  stone  of  sin  through  the 
power  of  Absolution,  in  order  that  men  may  have 
not  only  their  cwn  subjective  feelings  to  which  to 
trust  for  their  forgiveness,  but  the  objective  proof 
of  God's  pardon,  conveyed  by  the  lips  of  His  ap- 
pointed representative. 

ii.  For  as  the  women  at  the  tomb  heard  the 
words  of  the  Angel,  *'  He  is  not  here,  for  He  is 
risen  ;  come,  see  the  place  where  the  Lord  lay  ' ' ; 
so  the  sinner  hears  from  God's  messenger  the 
words  :  "  By  His  authority,  committed  unto  me,  I 
absolve  thee  from  all  thy  sins  ;  in  the  name  of  the 
Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  H01.Y  Ghost. 
Amen." 

The  one  thing  on  which  our  salvation  ultimately 
depends  is  whether  we  are  in  a  state  of  grace  or 
in  a  state  of  sin  ;  and  it  is  surely  impossible  to  ex- 


go  Eastertide  Addresses. 

aggerate  the  importance — not  only  to  our  peace 
of  mind,  but  to  our  spiritual  life — of  possessing 
some  assurajice  in  regard  to  this  fact. 

Our  Prayer-Book  uses  the  word  **  assure" 
twice  ;  once  in  its  definition  of  a  Sacrament, 
which  is  "  an  outward  and  visible  sign  of  an  in- 
ward and  spiritual  grace  given  unto  us  ;  ordained 
by  Christ  Himself,  as  a  means  whereby  we  re- 
ceive the  same,  and  a  pledge  to  assure  us  thereof." 
The  other  place  is  in  the  Prayer  of  Thanksgiving 
after  Communion,  where  it  says  that  God  does 
'  *  assure  us  "  of  His  favour  and  goodness  towards 
us  by  vouchsafing  to  feed  us  with  His  Body  and 
Blood  in  the  Sacrament  of  the  Holy  Eucharist. 

So  that  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  if  we  fol- 
low the  teaching  of  the  Prayer-Book,  the  only 
"  assurance  "  which  it  recognises  is  that  objective 
assurance  which  is  given  us  through  the  use  of  a 
Sacrament  ;  and  it  was  to  provide  us  with  just 
such  an  assurance  that  our  Lord  instituted  the 
Sacraments  of  His  Church. 

iii.  To  neglect  the  use  of  Absolution  is  like 
standing  outside  our  Lord's  tomb  with  the  stone 
still  on  it,  and  hoping  that  He  has  risen,  but 
refusing  to  allow  the  Angel  to  roll  away  the  stone, 
that  our  hope  may  be  changed  into  certainty. 

How  thankful  we  should  be  for  the  fountain 
opened  for  sin  in  Christ's  Church,  in  which  we 
may  wash  and  be  clean, — the  Fountain  of  the 


The  EartJiqiiake.  91 

Precious  Blood  !  How  grateful  we  should  be  for 
the  ministry  of  Absolution  which  has  been  com- 
mitted to  the  Priesthood  of  Christ's  Church  ! 

And  how  reverently  and  carefully  we  should 
use  that  means  of  grace,  which  our  Lord  bought 
for  us  at  the  price  of  His  own  Life,  and  bestowed 
upon  His  Church  immediately  after  He  had  risen, 
typifying  it  by  the  rolling  away  of  the  stone,  and 
actually  conveying  the  power  to  His  Ministers  in 
those  first  words  which  He  spoke  to  them  collect- 
ively, when,  "  He  breathed  on  them,  and  saith 
unto  them.  Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost  :  whose 
soever  sins  ye  remit,  they  are  remitted  unto  them  ; 
and  whose  soever  sins  ye  retain,  they  are  re- 
tained "  (S.  John  XX.,  22,  23). 


III. 

THE  VISION  OF  ANGBI.S. 

**AND  CKRTAIN  WOMEN  AI^O  OF  OUR  COMPANY 
MADE  US  ASTONISHED,  WHICH  WERE  EARI,Y 
AT  THE  SEPUI.CHRE  ;  AND  WHEN  THEY 
FOUND  NOT  HIS  BODY,  THEY  CAME,  SAYING, 
THAT  THEY  HAD  AI^SO  SEEN  A  VISION  OF 
ANGElyS,  WHICH  SAID  THAT  HE  WAS  AEIVE." 
►S*.  Luke  XXZV.,  22,  2J. 

THE  Bible,  from  the  first  book  of  the  Old 
Testament  to  the  last  of  the  New,  is  a  reve- 
lation of  the  existence  and  ministrations  of 
Angels.  Again  and  again  they  are  mentioned 
not  as  something  extraordinary,  but  as  something 
most  natural.  We  find  them  at  God's  command 
guarding  the  gate  of  Eden.  We  find  them  sent  as 
God's  messengers  to  the  Patriarchs  and  Prophets. 
And  the  New  Testament  opens  with  the  ministry 
of  Angels.  Gabriel  appears  to  Zacharias  to  foretell 
the  birth  of  S.  John  the  Baptist,  and  to  the 
Blessed  Virgin  to  announce  to  her  the  Mystery  of 
the  Incarnation.     An  Angel  reveals  that  Mystery 

92 


TJie   Vision  of  Angels.  93 

to  S.  Joseph  ;  another  Angel  heralds  it  to  the 
shepherds  ;  an  Angel  warns  S.  Joseph  to  flee  into 
Hgypt ;  Angels  minister  to  our  lyORD  in  His 
temptation  and  in  His  agony  in  the  garden ; 
Angels  are  found  at  the  sepulchre  after  the  Resur- 
rection ;  and  Angels  speak  to  the  Apostles  after 
the  Ascension. 

And  while  they  are  thus  recognised  from  first 
to  last  throughout  the  Bible,  we  observe  that  in 
the  New  Testament  the  special  Evangelist  of 
the  Angels  is  S.  I^uke,  who  mentions  their  ap- 
pearance much  more  frequently  than  any  of  the 
other  writers,  and  seems  to  have  written  as 
though  he  lived  in  a  conscious  fellowship  with 
the  unseen  world. 

I.  And  is  not  the  unseen  world  all  around  us 
and  most  intimately  bound  up  with  our  daily  life 
and  is  not  this  the  only  question  :  whether  we 
have  the  spiritual  faculty  to  observe  this?  For 
the  fact  that  the  Angels  succour  and  defend  us  on 
earth  remains  the  same,  whether  we. realise  it  or 
not. 

i.  If  we  turn  to  the  striking  incident  in  the 
Second  Book  of  the  Kings,  where  the  army  of 
the  King  of  Syria  surrounds  Dothan  by  night  for 
the  purpose  of  capturing  the  prophet  Klisha,  we 
read  that  when  the  servant  of  Elisha,  who  had 
risen  early,  had  gone  forth,  he  discovered  the 
host  compassing  the  city,  and  in  despair  said  to 


94  Eastertide  Addresses. 


his  master,  "Alas,  how  shall  we  do?"  And 
Klisha  encouraged  him  by  saying,  * '  Fear  not : 
for  they  that  be  with  us  are  more  than  they  that 
be  with  them.  And  Klisha  prayed,  and  said, 
lyORD,  I  pray  Thee,  open  his  eyes,  that  he  may 
see.  And  the  I^ord  opened  the  eyes  of  the 
young  man ;  and  he  saw :  and,  behold,  the 
mountain  was  full  of  horses  and  chariots  of  fire 
round  about  Klisha"  (2  Kings  vi.,  14-18). 

We  must  bear  in  mind  that  the  opening  of  the 
young  man's  eyes  did  not  bring  the  Angels  to 
Klisha' s  succour  ;  they  were  there  before.  Klisha 
had  spiritual  sight  enough  to  recognise  them,  and 
by  his  prayer  gained  this  gift  for  his  servant. 

ii.  How  many  things  there  are  all  round  us,  in- 
terwoven, as  it  were,  with  the  most  ordinary 
actions  of  our  daily  life,  of  which  we  are  ignorant 
only  because  of  the  dulness  of  our  sight  or  hear- 
ing !  And  while  this  is  especially  true  of  spiritual 
things,  it  is  also  true  of  material  things,  and,  per- 
haps, may  be  best  illustrated  from  the  phenomena 
of  nature. 

How  many  sights  and  sounds  there  are  around 
us  in  the  world,  of  which  we  are  not  cognisant  at 
all  !  And  of  those  which  are  within  the  reach  of 
human  ken,  how  many  more  are  perceived  by 
some  men  than  by  others  !  The  uncultured  sav- 
age, as  we  call  him,  has  the  faculties  of  sight  and 
hearing  trained  to  a  degree  of  intensity  which  we 


TJie   Visio?i  of  Angels.  95 

can  scarcely  understand  ;  and  there  are  other  crea- 
tures among  the  lower  animals,  whose  senses  are 
even  keener  than  his. 

II.  L/Ct  us  illustrate  this  by  the  consideration 
of  some  well-known  laws  of  sight  and  sound.  We 
speak  of  five  senses,  although  a  few  moments' 
thought  will  show  us  that  we  really  have  but  one, 
the  sense  of  touch,  and  that  all  the  others  are 
but  different  modes  of  that  one  sense. 

We  are  now  concerned  only  with  sight  and 
sound.  The  former  is  but  the  registration,  upon 
the  retina  of  the  eye,  of  the  vibrations  of  the 
luminiferous  ether  ;  while  in  the  case  of  sound  the 
drum  of  the  ear  performs  a  similar  office  in  re- 
gard to  the  pulsations  of  the  atmosphere. 

i.  For  instance,  if  we  examine  the  laws  of 
colour,  we  find  that  the  sensation  of  scarlet  re- 
quires that  477  billion  pulsations  of  the  ether 
should  touch  the  retina  every  second  ;  and  as  the 
vibrations  become  more  rapid,  and  the  light- 
waves therefore  become  smaller,  other  colours  are 
produced,  till  we  reach  700  billions  of  vibrations  a 
second,  which  causes  in  our  organ  of  sight  the 
effect  of  violet. 

Between  these  two  extremes  lie  all  the  shades 
of  colour  of  which  we  have  any  cognisance  ;  that 
is,  the  human  eye  is  so  constructed  as  only  to  let 
in,  so  to  speak,  vibrations  between  the  limits  of 
.477  and  700  billions. 


96  Eastertide  Addresses. 

It  is  quite  evident,  of  course,  that  there  must 
be  colours,  or  at  least  vibrations,  less  in  number 
than  the  lower  limit,  and  greater  than  the  higher, 
and  yet  of  these  we  have  no  perception  whatever, 
that  is,  they  produce  no  effect  upon  the  optic  nerve. 

What  is  true  of  colour  is  true  of  all  phenomena. 
There  may  be  beings  floating  about  in  the  air, 
which  we  do  not  see  simply  because  of  the  inca- 
pacity of  our  visual  organs.  And  we  know  there 
are  creatures  lower  in  the  order  of  creation,  which 
have  far  greater  powers  of  vision  than  we  possess. 
Eagles,  for  instance,  can  see  objects  at  a  distance 
which  is  far  beyond  the  reach  of  the  human  eye.; 
and  it  has  been  shown  by  experiments  that  ants 
see  distinctly  rays  of  light  whose  rate  of  vibra- 
tion exceeds  789  billions  a  second,  and  they  there- 
fore see  colours  beyond  the  violet  rays  of  the 
spectrum.  So  that  probably  there  is  all  about  us 
a  vision  of  magnificent  colours  to  which  we  are 
quite  insensible. 

ii.  If  we  now  take  up  in  the  same  way  the  laws 
of  sound,  Professor  Tyndall  explains  to  us  that 
notes  above  or  below  a  certain  pitch  are  quite 
inaudible  to  the  human  ear,  even  though  the  air 
be  filled  with  them.  He  tells  us  that  Savart  fixed 
the  lower  limit  at  8  vibrations  a  second  and  the 
upper  limit  of  hearing  at  24,000  vibrations  a 
second.  Helmholtz,  however,  in  his  experiments, 
fixed  the  lower  limit  at  16  vibrations   and   the 


The   Vision  of  Angels.  97 

higher  at  38,000  vibrations  a  second,  and  this  is 
generally  considered  accurate. 

If,  then,  we  start  from  the  note  16,  and  multi- 
ply continually  by  2  eleven  times,  we  shall  find 
that  at  eleven  octaves  above  the  fundamental  note 
the  number  of  vibrations  will  be  32,768  ;  so  that 
the  limit  assigned  by  Helmholtz  allows  the  human 
ear  a  range  of  about  eleven  octaves. 

All  the  notes  within  these  limits  cannot,  how- 
ever, be  employed  in  music,  the  practical  range 
of  musical  sounds  being  included  between  40  and 
4000  vibrations  a  second,  which  amounts  in  round 
numbers  to  seven  octaves  ;  the  lowest  tone  of 
the  orchestral  instruments  being  the  E  of  the 
double  bass,  with  \\%  vibrations  a  second,  and 
the  highest  probably  the  D  of  the  piccolo  flute, 
with  4752  vibrations.  In  some  countries  there  is 
a  difference  in  the  pitch  of  these  notes,  but  ap- 
proximately we  may  accept  Helmholtz' s  state- 
ment. 

Then  again,  the  limits  of  hearing  are  so  differ- 
ent in  different  persons,  and  the  sudden  transi- 
tion from  perfect  hearing  to  total  want  of  sound 
perception  is  very  striking.  Sir  John  Herschel 
and  Dr.  Wollaston,  who  have  especially  experi- 
mented in  this,  say  that  as  regards  the  sharp 
sounds  produced,  for  instance,  by  a  very  small 
organ-pipe,  some  people  will  complain  of  the 
penetrating  shrillness  of  a  sound  which  others  do 


98  Eastertide  Addresses. 

not  hear  at  all  ;  and  that  even  those  of  most  acute 
hearing  pass,  as  it  were,  at  one  step  into  absolute 
deafness.  That  is,  they  hear  these  shrill  notes 
with  most  penetrating  distinctness,  until  at  last 
one  is  struck  which  is  beyond  the  limit  of  their 
hearing,  and  they  would  maintain  of  that  note 
that  there  was  no  sound  at  all,  though  another 
with  still  more  acute  hearing  would  hear  it 
perfectly. 

Professor  Tyndall  refers  to  a  case  of  limited 
hearing  noticed  by  himself  in  crossing  the  Wen- 
gern  Alp  in  company  with  a  friend.  *  *  The  grass 
at  each  side  of  the  path  swarmed  with  insects, 
which,  to  me,  rent  the  air  with  their  shrill  chir- 
ruping. My  friend  heard  nothing  of  this,  the 
insect-music  lying  beyond  his  limit  of  audition."  * 

An  examination  of  the  laws  of  physical  sight 
and  sound  shows  us  how  much  is  going  on  all 
round  us  of  which  we  know  nothing,  of  which 
some  other  men  may  know  but  little  more  than 
we  do,  and  some  of  the  lower  creatures  a  great 
deal  more  than  we  do.  If  this  is  true — and  no 
one  can  reasonably  doubt  it — in  regard  to  material 
things,  how  much  more  may  it  not  be  true  of 
spiritual  things  ! 

The  scene  at  Dothan,  where  Elisha  saw  the 
mountain  full  of  horses  and  chariots  of  fire,  shows 
us  how  close  to  us  are  the  angelic  hosts,  ^^lisha 
'  On  Sound y  p.  loi. 


The   Vision  of  Angels.  99 

saw  them  with  his  spiritual  sight  ;  the  young 
man  did  not  see  them  until  his  spiritual  sight 
had  been  strengthened  by  Klisha's  prayer. 

III.  So  in  regard  to  the  spiritual  world  ;  the 
Saints  have  seen  many  sights,  have  heard  many 
sounds  of  which  sinners  knew  nothing.  While  it 
would  not  be  wise,  and  it  certainly  is  not  neces- 
sary, to  believe  all  the  visions  that  are  recorded 
in  the  lives  of  various  Saints,  yet  it  would  be  a 
very  rash  thing  to  say  that  they  were  none  of 
them  real. 

i.  It  would  be  altogether  contrary  to  the  laws  of 
evidence  to  reject  the  testimony  of  one  very  large 
class  of  persons,  whose  experience  extended  over 
mau}^  centuries,  and  who,  from  their  special 
training  and  sanctity,  were  peculiarly  fitted  to 
see  spiritual  things,  just  because  those  who  had 
not  gone  through  the  same  training,  but  on  the 
contrary  had  lived  a  life  which  necessarily  blunted 
their  spiritual  perceptions,  had  had  no  experi- 
ence of  such  visions. 

We  accept  scientific  truth  in  regard  to  material 
things  almost  entirely  on  the  testimony  of  scien- 
tific experts.  Very  few  amongst  us  have  had 
the  scientific  training  necessary  to  investigate 
for  ourselves  the  so-called  laws  of  nature.  We 
realise  this,  and  therefore  do  not  hesitate  to 
accept  them  on  the  testimony  of  those  who  have 
spent  their  lives  in  such  investigations,  and  who 


lOO  Eastertide  Addresses, 

have  been  peculiarly  fitted  for  them  by  special 
training. 

How  unreasonable  we  should  be  thought  if  we 
were  to  reject,  for  instance,  the  physical  laws  of 
sight  and  sound  because  the  great  majority  of  man- 
kind had  never  made  any  experiments  on  them, 
could  not  see  the  luminiferous  ether,  could  not 
measure  the  light-waves,  and  had  never  made 
any  experiments  in  acoustics  ! 

But  it  would  be  just  as  unreasonable  to  reject  the 
testimony  of  thousands  of  Saints  in  regard  to 
visions  of  spiritual  things  which  they  have  experi- 
enced, simply  because  the  majority,  who  are  not 
Saints  and  have  never  trained  their  spiritual 
faculties, — but  rather  have  blunted  them  by  a  life 
of  worldliness,  perhaps  of  sin, — have  experienced 
no  such  visions. 

It  is  quite  possible  that  some  might  think  it  a 
sufficient  answer  to  this  if  they  said  that  the  evi- 
dence on  which  the  visions  of  the  Saints  rested 
was  not  supported  by  any  testimony  of  real 
weight.  As  our  argument  is  addressed  to  Chris- 
tians only,  it  would,  perhaps,  be  sufiicient  to  reply, 
that  it  is  supported  on  the  testimony  of  the  in- 
spired Word  of  God,  which  is  the  very  same  tes- 
timony on  which  rest  all  the  doctrines  of  the 
Christian  Faith. 

ii.  It  does  not  seem  to  have  occurred  to  some 
people  that  from  the  first  book  of  the  Bible  to  the 


TJie   Vision  of  Angels.  lOl 

last  we  are  constantly  assured  that  holy  men  of 
God  had  visions  of  the  spiritual  world.  We  may 
begin  with  the  Book  of  Genesis,  in  which  we  are 
told  of  the  visions  which  Abram  had,  and  we  can 
end  with  the  Revelation  of  S.  John. 

We  also  find  that  these  visions  almost  invari- 
ably were  experienced  by  holy  people,  men  of 
God  ;  and  it  is  distinctly  implied  that  others  did 
not  see  them,  as  in  the  example  we  have  already 
quoted,  that  of  Klisha's  servant. 

So  that  when  we  are  told  that  the  holy  women 
saw  a  vision  of  Angels,  the  statement  is  one  which 
would  seem  most  natural. 

If  we  read  the  accounts,  which  are  common  to 
all  the  Evangelists,  of  the  appearance  of  the  An- 
gels to  the  women  at  the  tomb,  we  can  scarcely 
fail  to  be  struck  with  the  way  in  which-  the 
women  seem  to  have  taken  the  angelic  appear- 
ance as  a  matter  of  course.  For  though  they 
were  frightened,  they  listened  to  what  the  Angels 
said,  and  spoke  to  the  Angels  in  the  most  natural 
way. 

Perhaps  it  was  because  they  had  seen  such 
sights  lately  at  the  Crucifixion  that  nothing 
could  now  astonish  them.  Or  it  may  have  been 
that  they  had  been  living  so  near  to  our  Lord  in 
sanctity  that  they  had  for  some  time  been  cogni- 
sant of  the  angelic  world  around  them. 

This  is  the  more  likely  when  we  consider  what 


1 02  Eastertide  A  ddr esses. 

had  been  their  immediate  and  pecuhar  prepara- 
tion for  this  vision  of  Angels. 

IV.  There  had  been,  first,  a  preparation  of 
penitence.  Sin  itself  dims  our  spiritual  sight, 
coming  between  us  and  God,  the  Saints,  and  the 
Angels,  as  the  clouds  sometimes  come  between  us 
and  the  sun,  hiding  it  from  our  eyes. 

They  had  kept  Good  Friday  as  perhaps  no  one 
else  ever  kept  Good  Friday.  They  had  stood  at 
the  foot  of  the  very  Cross  of  our  Blessed  lyORD 
and  had  watched  Him  die.  They  had  listened  to 
and  treasured  up  His  last  Words,  His  dying 
legacy  of  love. 

They  had  seen  in  His  Passion  the  result  of  all 
sin,  of  their  vsin.  They  had  repented — oh,  with 
what  contrition  !  The  eye  of  the  soul  had  been 
closed  by  sin,  but  by  penitence  the  hindrances  to 
its  vision  had  been  removed. 

And  then,  if  they  had  kept  Good  Friday  as  a 
day  of  penitence,  doubtless  they  had  kept  Holy 
Saturday  as  a  day  of  prayer.  Good  Friday  had 
been  a  trial  indeed  to  their  faith.  Holy  Saturday 
to  their  hope.  Then  early  on  Kaster  morning 
love  had  drawn  them  to  the  tomb  with  their  spices. 
Penitence,  faith,  hope,  and  love — what  prepara- 
tion could  have  been  better  for  a  heavenly  vision  ? 

If  we  see  so  little  of  the  spiritual  world,  is  it  not 
because  we  do  so  little  to  pi-epai^e  ourselves  for 
that  sight  ?     I^et  us  cleanse  the  eye  of  our  soul 


TJlc   Vision  of  Angels.  103 

by  real  penitence,  quicken  our  hope  and  faith  by 
earnest  prayer,  and  cause  the  dull  embers  of  our 
love  to  burst  into  flame  by  feeding  them  with  acts 
of  sacrifice  ;  and  what  may  we  not  hope  to  see  of 
that  world  which  is  so  near  to  us  ? 

V.  Our  fellowship  with  the  Saints  and  Angels 
is  a  matter  of  distinct  revelation,  and  is  one  of 
the  most  helpful  doctrines  of  the  Creed.  Not  to 
quote  more  than  one  passage  of  Scripture,  we  read 
in  the  twelfth  chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  He- 
brews :  *  *  But  ye  are  come  unto  Mount  Sion,  and 
unto  the  city  of  the  living  God,  the  heavenly 
Jerusalem,  and  to  an  innumerable  company  of 
Angels,  to  the  general  assembly  and  Church  of 
the  firstborn,  which  are  written  in  Heaven,  and 
to  God  the  Judge  of  all,  and  to  the  spirits  of  just 
men  made  perfect  "  (verses  22  and  23). 

Here  the  writer  of  the  Epistle,  comparing  the 
two  Covenants  of  God,  given  through  Moses  and 
through  Christ,  contrasts  the  coming  of  the 
Jews  to  Mount  Sinai  with  all  its  terrors,  with  the 
coming  of  Christ's  people  to  Mount  Sion,  the 
heavenly  Jerusalem.  And  among  the  privileges 
of  Christians  which  he  enumerates  perhaps  the 
chief  is  fellowship  with  the  Angels  and  Saints  ; — 
'  *  the  innumerable  company  of  Angels, '  *  and  ' '  the 
spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect." 

As  we  have  already  seen,  the  whole  Bible  is  full 
of  instances  of  angelic  ministrations  to  men  ;  and 


104  Eastertide  Addresses, 

in  the  same  chapter  of  the  same  Epistle  we  are 
urged  to  lay  aside  every  weight  .  .  .  because 
*  *  we  are  compassed  about  with  so  great  a  cloud  of 
witnesses  ' ' — of  Saints  and  Angels  (verse  i).  But 
let  us  confine  ourselves  to  the  fellowship  of  the 
Holy  Angels. 

What  a  help  the  thought  of  this  fellowship 
should  be  to  us  !  Some,  however,  may  ask,  *'  In 
what  way  can  it  be  a  help  to  us  ?  In  what  way 
is  the  fellowship  in  any  sense  real  ?  for  we  cannot 
talk  to  the  Angels."  No,  but  talking  is  not 
everything. 

To  lovers  of  music  there  is  probably  no  greater 
pleasure  than  the  performance  of  a  piece  of  con- 
certed music,  and  yet  those  who  are  performing  it 
cannot  talk  whilst  they  are  playing,  but  they  all 
have  a  common  interest  in  performing  the  same 
work,  each  doing  his  own  part  ;  they  all  pause 
together,  they  all  crescendo  together,  they  all 
keep  the  same  time  and  rhythm.  And  so  we  and 
the  Angels  have  true  fellowship  with  one  another, 
not  by  talking  together,  but  by  having  the  same 
interests. 

This  fellowship  may  be  traced  in  various  ways. 

i.  Both  we  and  the  Angels  have  the  same  be- 
ginning and  end, — God.  Of  both  it  can  be  said 
that  they  came  from  God,  belong  to  God,  and 
have  God  as  their  end. 

ii.  Then  there  is  a  fellowship  in  work.     With 


The   Vision  of  Angels,  105 

both  the  highest  duty  and  greatest  happiness 
must  be  to  do  God's  Will,  to  finish  God's 
work  ;  and  we  must  remember  that  all  work 
which  it  is  our  duty  to  do,  is  in  some  sense  God's 
work,  and  therefore  can  be  offered  to  Him.  The 
Angels,  who  obey  God's  commands  in  the  vSpirit- 
ual  world,  and  man,  who  fulfils  God's  purpose 
in  every-day  life,  have  a  fellowship  in  common 
work. 

iii.  There  is  also  a  fellowship  in  common  wor- 
ship ;  and  this  is  especiallj^  realised  in  the  great 
act  of  Christian  worship,  the  offering  of  the  Holy 
Eucharist.  At  every  celebration  we  are  reminded 
of  this  by  the  Preface,  *' Therefore  with  A7tgels 
and  Archa7igelSy  and  with  all  the  Company  of 
Heaven,  we  laud  and  magnify  Thy  glorious  Name; 
evermore  praising  Thee. "  And  all  worship  as  it 
were  depends  upon  that  solemn  Eucharistic  act ; 
for  the  other  Offices  of  the  Church  are  but  as 
echoes  of  the  Eucharist,  and  are  almost  meaning- 
less where  there  is  no  offering  of  the  Eucharistic 
Sacrifice. 

iv.  Moreover,  this  fellowship  with  the  Angels 
involves  mutual  love.  They  love  us  because  God 
loves  us  ;  and  they  willingly  obey  His  behests  in 
ministering  to  our  needs  in  a  thousand  ways  of 
which  we  know  nothing  !  But  many  instances  of 
angelic  help  are  recorded  for  us  in  the  Holy  Bible  ; 
and  in  the  Lives  of  the  Saints  too  we  read  many, 


io6  Eastertide  Addresses. 

many  stories  of  angelic  assistance  in  the  hour  of 
need. 

V.  Again  they  help  us,  and  the  help  is  mutual ; 
for  we  are  continuing  here  on  earth  the  battle 
which  the  Angels  began  in  Heaven  when  **  there 
was  war  in  Heaven:  Michael  and  his  Angels 
fought  against  the  dragon  ;  and  the  dragon 
fought  and  his  angels,  and  prevailed  not ;  neither 
was  their  place  found  any  more  in  Heaven.  And 
the  great  dragon  was  cast  out,  that  old  serpent, 
called  the  Devil,  arid  Satan,  which  deceiveth  the 
whole  world  :  he  was  cast  out  into  the  earth,  and 
his  angels  were  cast  out  with  him  "  (Rev.  xii., 

7,  8,  9). 

The  Angels  hurled  the  rebel  lyucifer  and  his 
hosts  from  Heaven,  and  it  is  our  work  to  conquer 
him  on  earth  ;  and  this  must  be  done  before  that 
"consummation  of  all  things, ' '  when  the  Devil  and 
his  hosts  shall  be  cast  out  of  the  earth  too,  and  shut 
up  for  ever  in  the  bottomless  pit.  We  are  carrying 
on  the  work  the  Angels  began  ;  we  are  fighting 
for  their  King  against  His  ancient  foe. 

vi.  The  realisation  of  this  fellowship  with  the 
Holy  Angels  should  give  us  confidence  in  our 
struggle,  and  consolation  in  times  of  great  tempta- 
tion. We  read  that  after  our  lyORD's  temptation 
Angels  came  and  ministered  to  Him  ;  and  they 
minister  no  less  to  us,  though  from  our  want  of 
spiritual  sight  we  do  not  see  them.     We  should 


The   Vision  of  Angels.  107 

invoke  their  aid  in  time  of  danger, — for  we  know 
that  each  of  us  has  at  least  a  Guardian  Angel, — 
and  in  our  work  ;  and  especially  in  our  worship. 
The  thought  of  our  fellowship  with  those  bright 
spirits  should  stimulate  and  refresh  us  as  we  strive 
to  fulfil  in  our  poor  way  on  earth  what  they  do 
so  perfectly  in  Heaven. 

^  Perhaps  we  may  realise  this  fellowship  with  the 
Holy  Angels  best  by  thinking  of  the  celebration 
of  a  Solemn  Mass  in  some  great  Cathedral.  There 
is  the  Priest  at  the  Altar  offering  the  Holy  Sacri- 
fice, with  the  Sacred  Ministers  and  the  Acolytes, 
the  Choir  singing  their  parts  and  the  orchestra 
accompanying  them.  In  that  Choir  and  orchestra 
each  has  a  special  part  to  perform  ;  some  a  part 
prominent  and  important  ;  others  have  merely  the 
work  of  filling  in  the  intermediate  harmonies  ;  but 
all  are  necessary  to  the  general  effect,  and  if  any 
one  is  out  of  tune  or  out  of  time,  that  one  more  or 
less  spoils  the  perfection  of  the  work. 

So  is  it  in  our  fellowship  with  the  Angels. 
The  universe  is  God's  great  Cathedral,  our  Lord 
the  Great  High  Priest ;  and  Angels  and  Saints 
in  Heaven,  and  men  on  earth,  both  in  their  work 
and  in  their  worship,  are  like  the  Choir  and  or- 
chestra, all  engaged  in  one  great  effort  to  glorify 
God,  to  do  His  holy  Will,  and  to  praise  His 
sacred  Name. 

Our  part  may  be  like  that  of  some  insignificant 


io8  Eastertide  Addresses. 

instrument  in  the  orchestra,  or  a  voice  in  the 
chorus,  fining  in  only  the  intermediate  harmonies, 
but  if  our  part  is  not  rightly  performed  we  are  in 
danger  of  spoiling  the  perfection  of  the  work.  If 
we  rightly  do  our  part  here,  the  happy  day  will 
come  when,  by  the  discipline  of  earth,  we  shall  have 
been  tuned  and  trained  to  take  our  place  before 
the  Throne  of  God,  and  to  have  our  share  in  the 
triumph-song  of  Heaven,  where  all  will  be  perfect 
harmony,  all  one  glorious  and  eternal  burst  of 
praise  to  Him  Who  has  redeemed  us  by  His  Blood 
and  has  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  our  God. 


IV. 
HOLY   ASSOCIATIONS. 

"he    is   not   HKRK  :    FOR   HK   IS    RISEN,    AS    HE 

SAID.     COME,  SEE  THE  PLACE  WHERE  THE 

LORD  LAY."     kS*.  Matt,  xxviii.,  6. 

S  MATTHEW  and  S.  Mark  both  record  this 
invitation  of  the  Angel  to  behold  the  place 
where  the  L^ord  lay.  While  its  first  pur- 
pose may  have  been  to  assure  the  women  by  ocu- 
lar demonstration  of  the  truth  of  the  statement, 
*'  He  is  not  here.  He  is  risen,"  by  showing  them 
the  empty  tomb  ;  yet  we  may  well  gather  from  it 
a  lesson  for  ourselves  in  regard  to  the  helpful- 
ness of  holy  associations. 

With  what  feelings  of  awe,  reverence,  and  love 
did  the  holy  women  stoop  down  and  gaze  into  the 
empty  tomb  !  "  He  is  not  here.  He  is  risen. 
Why  seek  ye  the  living  among  the  dead  ?  ' '  And 
yet  there  is  the  invitation,  **  Come,  see  the  place 
where  the  Lord  lay."  In  this  seeming  paradox, 
— *  *  Why  seek  ye  the  living  among  the  dead  ?  ' ' 

Z09 


I  lo  Eastertide  Addresses.  • 

"  Come,  see  the  place  where  the  Loed  lay," 
— we  have  a  lesson  in  regard  to  the  usefulness 
of  holy  associations,  and  a  warning  against  their 
abuse. 

I.  There  are  few  among  us,  probably,  who  have 
not  at  times  realised  the  helpfulness  of  associations 
of  place.  As  we  stood  on  the  site  of  some  old, 
historic  scene,  how  the  place  not  only  brought 
vividly  back  what  we  had  read  in  times  gone  by, 
but  quickened  the  dull  page  with  life  ! 

For  example,  one's  first  visit  to  Rome  :  the 
Forum,  with  its  classic  memories  ;  the  Colosseum, 
with  its  scenes  of  Christian  heroism  ; — what  recol-, 
lections  did  they  awake  of  a  glorious  past,  of  which 
we  had  read  indeed  with  quickening  pulse  ;  but 
when  we  stood  there  on  the  very  spot,  how  vividly 
the  scene  came  before  our  eyes  ! 

With  what  interest  we  examined  every  relic  of 
those  martyrs  who  laid  down  their  lives  for  Christ 
so  bravely,  so  willingly,  and  who  b}^  their  blood 
washed  idol- worship  away  from  the  fields  of  Eu- 
rope. Nor  did  our  conscience  fail  to  reproach  us 
because,  in  spite  of  our  noble  resolves,  we,  their  de- 
scendants, had  failed  so  often  to  confess  our  lyORD 
even  in  the  little  details  of  daily  Christian  life. 

And  then,  as  we  travelled  from  place  to  place  in 
that  land  rich  with  so  many  memories  of  the  past, 
how  our  heart  burned  within  us  as  we  wandered 
through  the  cloisters  and  cells  of  San  Marco  at 


Holy  Associations.  1 1 1 

Florence,  and  studied  the  works  of  Fra  Angelico 
and  Fra  Bartolommeo,  who  seem  to  have  painted  in 
lasting  colours  the  inspirations  which  they  caught 
on  their  knees  !  And  then  we  visited  the  cell  of 
that  great  reformer  Savonarola,  and  saw  the  cruci- 
fix at  the  foot  of  which  he  learned  that  lesson, 
which  in  burning  words  he  taught  the  luxurious 
nobles  of  Florence.  Who  shall  say  that  we  were 
not  the  better  for  these  thoughts  ? 

And  then,  when  we  visit  the  tombs  of  the 
Saints  and  kneel  at  the  shrine  of  S.  Dominic  at 
Bologna,  and  of  S.  Francis  at  Assisi,  and  think 
of  the  religious  Orders  they  founded,  the  thous- 
ands of  devout  souls  who  followed  in  their  steps  ; 
or  the  tomb  of  S.  Philip  at  Rome,  or  of  his  friend 
S.  Carlo  at  Milan,  and  think  of  the  reformation 
those  two  men  effected  in  their  day — what  thoughts 
arise  in  our  minds  !  Or  when,  at  Toulouse,  we 
gaze  at  the  head  of  that  mighty  theologian,  S. 
Thomas  Aquinas,  whose  thoughts  have  guided 
the  theologians  of  the  Church  for  so  many  cent- 
uries, we  seem  to  hear  the  words,  '  *  Come,  see  the 
place  where  he  lies."  God's  servant,  man,  like 
thyself ;  the  same  frail,  sinful  human  nature,  the 
same  flesh  and  blood,  the  same  temptations,  the 
same  grace — for  what  had  they  more  than  we 
have  in  the  Sacraments  of  the  Church  ? — and  yet 
centuries  have  passed,  and  their  work  remains. 

And  do  not  such  thoughts  rouse  us  to  fresh 


1 1 2  Eastertide  A  ddr esses.  • 

eflfort,  stir  within  us  holy  ambitions,  and  remind 
us  that  our  I^ord  has  given  * '  to  every  man  his 
work  "  ?     Are  not  such  associations  helpful  ? 

Or  again,  in  our  own  life,  have  we  not  noticed 
how  associations  of  place  call  up  memories  of 
earlier  days  ?  In  revisiting  the  scenes  of  boyhood 
or  youth,  for  instance ;  the  school,  that  little  world 
whose  years  were  so  few  and  whose  experiences 
seemed  so  many ;  the  Church  in  which  we  received 
for  the  first  time  each  Sacrament ;  the  Font  in 
which  we  were  regenerated  ;  the  Altar  at  which 
we  made  our  first  Communion — how  many  holy 
recollections  roll  in  on  the  flood-tide  of  memory 
thus  awakened  !  Holy  desires,  solemn  resolu- 
tions, alas  !  often  forgotten,  many  times  broken  ; 
but  are  we  not  the  better  for  facing  them,  and 
has  not  many  a  one  started  afresh  and  persevered 
more  faithfully  after  such  recollections  ? 

II.  But  there  is  the  word  of  warning,  "  He  is 
not  here."  Those  relics,  helpful  in  many  ways, 
holy  as  they  may  be,  are  not  all.  We  are  to 
think  of  the  Saints  enjoying  their  reward  amid  the 
bliss  of  Heaven,  drinking  in,  as  from  a  river, 
streams  of  delight,  the  glorious  Vision  of  God. 

And  as  we  are  fired  by  this  thought  to  follow  in 
their  steps,  we  may  remember  that  we  are  *  *  com- 
passed about  with  a  great  cloud  of  witnesses"; 
that  we  not  only  think  of  the  Saints,  but  they 
think  of  us,  care  for  us,  watch  us,  and  are  ready 


Holy  Associations.  1 13 

to  help  us  if  we  seek  their  aid.  And  so  we  ask 
them  to  pray  for  us,  that  we  may  have  grace  and 
strength  to  fight  as  they  fought  for  Christ,  and 
hke  them  to  win  the  crown. 

But  if  these  associations  are  helpful,  how  much 
more  so  are  all  those  which  bring  us,  as  it  were, 
into  communication  with  our  I^ord  Himself ; 
how  great  is  the  helpfulness  of  a  thorough  know- 
ledge of  all  the  circumstances  of  His  I^ife,  so  that 
we  may  recall  the  scenes,  so  that  we  may  * '  come 
and  see  the  place  where  He  lay," — making  His 
earthly  life  more  real,  more  vivid  to  us,  as  we 
meditate  on  it  day  by  day. 

How  easily  we  forget  these  things  !  All 
helps  to  memory  are  good ;  the  visiting  of  holy 
places  is  among  the  best,  because  of  the  power 
that  they  have  of  quickening  our  memory  and 
our  affection. 

In  conclusion,  let  us  return  to  the  first  lesson 
which  these  words  are  intended  to  teach — the  les- 
son of  the  empty  tomb  :  * '  He  is  not  here,  He  is 
risen."  We  are  not  to  be  contented  with  the 
mere  associations  of  the  past.  For  all  the  things 
which  remind  us  of  Christ  and  of  His  Saints  carry 
our  thoughts  and  hopes  be3"ond  this  world,  not 
merely  to  the  grave  of  earthly  memories,  but  to 
that  glorious  Kingdom  where,  if  we  are  faithful, 
we  shall  one  da}'-  reign  with  Him,  and  be  '*  num- 
bered with  His  Saints  in  glory  everlasting." 

8 


114  Eastertide  Addresses,  • 

And  this  thought  robs  earth's  trials  of  their 
terrors  and  sweetens  life's  sorrows,  gives  new 
courage  to  bear  the  Cross,  and  urges  us  on  to 
follow  Him  !  "  He  is  not  here,  He  is  risen. 
Come,  see  the  place  where  the  I^ord  lay. ' ' 


V. 


THE  VISIT  OF  S.  PETER  AND  S.  JOHN 
TO  THE  SEPULCHRE. 

"  THE:n  SHK  runneth,  and  COMETH  TO  SIMON 
PETKR,  AND  TO  THE  OTHER  DISCIPLE,  WHOM 
JESUS  LOVED,  AND  SAITH  UNTO  THEM,  THEY 
HAVE  TAKEN  AWAY  THE  LORD  OUT  OF  THE 
SEPULCHRE,  AND  WE  KNOW  NOT  WHERE 
THEY  HAVE  LAID  HIM.  PETER  THEREFORE 
WENT  FORTH,  AND  THAT  OTHER  DISCIPLE, 
AND  CAME  TO  THE  SEPULCHRE.  SO  THEY 
RAN  BOTH  TOGETHER  :  AND  THE  OTHER 
DISCIPLE  DID  OUTRUN  PETER,  AND  CAME 
FIRST  TO  THE  SEPULCHRE.  AND  HE  STOOP- 
ING DOWN,  AND  LOOKING  IN,  SAW  THE 
LINEN  CLOTHES  LYING  ;  YET  WENT  HE  NOT 
IN.  THEN  COMETH  SIMON  PETER  FOLLOW- 
ING HIM,  AND  WENT  INTO  THE  SEPULCHRE, 
AND  SEETH  THE  LINEN  CLOTHES  LIE,  AND 
THE  NAPKIN,  THAT  WAS  ABOUT  HIS  HEAD, 
NOT  LYING  WITH  THE  LINEN  CLOTHES,  BUT 
WRAPPED  TOGETHER  IN  A  PLACE  BY  ITSELF. 
"5 


Ii6  Eastertide  Addresses. 

THEN  WKNT  IN  AI^SO  THAT  OTHER  DISCIPLE, 
WHICH  CAME  FIRST  TO  THE  SEPUIvCHRE,  AND 
HE  SAW,  AND  BELIEVED.  FOR  AS  YET  THEY 
KNEW  NOT  THE  SCRIPTURE,  THAT  HE  MUST 
RISE  AGAIN  FROM  THE  DEAD.  THEN  THE 
DISCIPLES  WENT  AWAY  AGAIN  UNTO  THEIR 

OWN  HOME. ' '     »S.  John  XX. ,  2-1 1. 

WE  are  so  familiar  with  the  details  of  our 
Lord's  Resurrection  as  a  history  that 
probably  most  of  us  do  not  realise  how 
marvellously  full  it  is  as  a  revelation.  Every  type 
of  character  and  class  of  evidence  seem  to  be 
brought  before  us.  Personal  love,  personal  peni- 
tence, impersonal  thought,  and  even  doubt,  are 
exhibited  in  S.  Mary  Magdalene,  S.  Peter,  the 
two  Disciples  at  Emmaus,  and  S.  Thomas,  re- 
spectively ;  all  finding  their  need  supplied  and 
their  faith  in  the  Resurrection  confirmed  by  a 
special  and  individual  revelation  given  to  them 
by  our  Lord  Himself. 

But  besides  the  appearances  to  individuals  and 
to  the  assembled  Disciples,  we  have  in  the  case 
of  S.  John  an  unique  experience,  leading  to  per- 
fect faith  in  the  Resurrection  before  he  had  seen 
our  Lord.  Indeed,  excepting  of  course  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  we  may  say  of  him  alone,  what 
our  Lord  said  to  S.  Thomas  :  "  Blessed  are  they 
that  have  not  seen,  and  yet  have  believed." 


The   Visit  to  the  Sepulchre.  117 

I.  The  passage  of  Scripture  which  we  are  now 
to  consider  contains  an  account  of  this  experience 
of  S.  John,  and  tells  us,  as  it  seems,  with  great 
accuracy  exactly  what  was  the  character  of  the 
evidence  which  led  him  to  believe  that  his  Lord 
had  risen.  But  before  we  consider  it,  let  us  glance 
for  a  moment  at  the  scene. 

S.  Mary  Magdalene  had  hastened  back  from 
her  first  visit  to  the  tomb,  and  finding  S.  Peter 
and  S.  John,  had  said  to  them,  *'  They  have  taken 
away  the  Lord  out  of  the  sepulchre,  and  we  know 
not  where  they  have  laid  Him."  How  pathetic 
is  her  story  ! — especially  when  we  remember  that 
she  had  no  expectation  of  finding  that  her  Lord 
had  risen.  She  had  set  out  to  anoint  the  dead 
Body, — all  that  was  left  her  of  Him  she  loved  so 
dearly, — and  that  was  gone  ! 

How  natural  was  the  action  of  S.  Peter  and  S. 
John  on  hearing  the  news  !  * '  They  ran  both  to- 
gether ;  and  the  other  Disciple  did  outrun  Peter, 
and  came  first  to  the  sepulchre."  He  outran  S. 
Peter  because,  being  younger,  he  was  more  agile  ; 
but  reverence  or  some  other  feeling  held  him 
back,  for  when  he  reached  the  tomb  he  stooped 
down  and  looked  in  only,  but  did  not  go  in. 

S.  Peter  comes  up  soon  after,  and  at  once  enters 
the  tomb,  and  sees  the  linen  cloths  lying,  and 
the  napkin,  which  was  upon  His  Head,  not  lying 
with  the  linen  cloths,  but  apart,  rolled  together 


ii8  Eastertide  Addresses. 

in  one  place.  Then  S.  John  also  entered,  and  saw 
this  and  believed.  "  For  as  yet  they  knew  not 
the  Scripture,  that  He  must  rise  again  from  the 
dead.  Then  the  Disciples  went  away  again  unto 
their  own  home. ' ' 

We  must  very  carefully  notice  in  this  place  the 
emphatic  change,  in  verse  8,  of  the  verbs  to  the 
singular.  The  whole  narrative  is  an  account  of 
what  two  Apostles  did  together.  They  ran  to- 
gether. They  entered  the  Tomb  together,  S. 
John  waiting  for,  but  immediately  after  following, 
S,  Peter.  Together  they  *  *  knew  not  " — or  rather 
understood  not — "  the  Scripture,  that  He  must 
rise  again  from  the  dead."  And  they  went  to- 
gether "  away  unto  their  own  home." 

And  yet,  although  S.  John  writes  the  whole 
account  thus  in  the  plural,  he  makes  an  emphatic 
exception  in  verse  8  by  using  two  verbs  in  the 
singular  which  separate  the  plural  verbs  and  can- 
not, therefore,  have  been  placed  there  uninten- 
tionally. 

S.  John  evidently  desires  to  speak  of  an  experi- 
ence which  was  peculiar  to  himself.  He  cannot  tes- 
tify for  S.  Peter;  he  can  do  so  for  himself,  and  this 
must  have  been  one  of  the  ineffaceable  experiences 
in  his  life.  He  tells  us  of  it  with  special  clearness 
and  in  doing  so  admits  us  to  see  the  evidence  by 
which  he  reached  his  belief  in  the  Resurrection. 

II.  What  was  this  evidence  ?    There  can  be  no 


The   Visit  to  the  Sepulchre.  119 

question  but  that  it  was  the  sight  of  the  grave- 
clothes  ;  and  yet  perhaps,  it  is  not  easy  to  see 
why  they  should  have  produced  such  conviction 
in  S.  John. 

Many  commentators  tell  us  that  the  circum- 
stance which  convinced  S.  John  that  the  Body 
had  not  been  taken  away,  but  had  risen,  was  (to 
quote  from  Godet),  that  "  these  linen  cloths, 
spread  out,  did  not  suggest  a  removal,  for  the 
Body  would  not  have  been  carried  away  com- 
pletely naked.  The  napkin  especially,  rolled  up 
and  laid  aside  carefully,  attested  not  a  precipi- 
tate removal,  but  a  calm  awakening." 

This  is  undoubtedly  true  so  far  as  it  goes,  and 
yet  seems  scarcely  a  sufficient  reason  for  so  extra- 
ordinary a  conviction.  For  while  the  condition 
of  the  cloths  may  not  have  suggested  a  precipi- 
tate removal,  it  was  at  least  compatible  with  the 
removal  of  the  Body,  and  there  was  no  special 
reason  to  suppose  that  a  precipitate  removal  was 
necessary. 

But  a  careful  examination  of  the  original  lan- 
guage used  appears  to  suggest  a  very  different  and 
far  more  satisfactory  explanation.  It  was  not,  as 
Godet  and  others  understand,  that  the  napkin 
had  been  "  rolled  up  and  laid  aside  carefully," 
but  that  the  napkin  was  in  precisely  the  same  con- 
dition in  which  it  had  been  left  by  those  who  laid 
our  Blessed  Lord  in  the  tomb.     If  we  turn  to 


I20  Eastertide  Addresses. 

the  account  of  our  Lord's  burial  (S.  Matt,  xxvii., 
59,  60),  we  read  :  ' '  And  when  Joseph  had  taken 
the  Body,  he  wrapped  it  in  a  clean  linen  cloth, 
and  laid  it  in  his  own  new  tomb."  The  word 
* '  wrapped  "  (ersrvXi^sv)  is  in  the  aorist,  and  sig- 
nifies the  act,  which  they  all  witnessed,  of  wrap- 
ping the  linen  cloth  around  the  Body,  a  special 
napkin  being  wound  about  the  Head. 

In  the  passage  in  S.  John  which  we  are  now 
considering,  the  same  word  is  used  in  the  perfect 
participle  (^evrsrvXty/Aerov),  which  signifies  that 
the  napkin  was  still  in  the  condition  in  which  it 
had  been  placed  when  it  was  wound  about  the 
sacred  Head. 

Though  the  perfect  participle  might  signify  the 
rolling  up  of  the  napkin  after  the  grave-clothes 
had  been  removed  from  our  Lord's  Body  (if  such 
had  been  the  case),  yet  nrvaaoo  would  have  been 
the  ordinary  word  to  describe  this,*  and  is  the 
word  which  is  actually  used  of  the  folding  up  of 
a  bandage,  t  It  is  noticeable  that  nrvGaoD  in  the 
only  place  in  which  it  occurs  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, S.  Luke  iv.,  20,  is  used  in  this  sense.  J 

The  reason  why  evrvXiGGoo  would  not  have 
been  a  good  word  to  represent  the  ordinary  f aid- 
ing up  of  a  napkin,  is  that  it  implies  the  wrap- 

*  Homer,  Od.,  i.  4,  iii.  9,  vi.  in,  252. 

\  Hippocrates,  Frad.,  758. 

\  nai  Ttrv^aS  to  /3i/3Xiov  h.  r.  A. 


The  Visit  to  the  Sepulchre.  121 

ping  around  soynething  (the  noun  ru\//  or  rvXo^ 
meaning  a  swelling),  and  that  the  verb  in  this  case 
requires  that  the  swelling  should  have  been  pro- 
duced by  the  Head  around  which  the  napkin  had 
been  wrapped. 

Now  this  is  exactly  what  would  have  been  the 
case  if  our  I^ord  had  risen  passing  through  the 
grave-clothes,  as  He  did  through  the  stone  of  the 
tomb,  wdthout  unwrapping  them. 

The  cloth  wrapped  about  the  Body  w^ould  col- 
lapse on  account  of  the  greater  width  of  the  folds  ; 
the  napkin  wrapped  around  the  Head  would  prob- 
ably retain  its  form,  and  would  be  separated  from 
the  other  grave-clothes  (for  it  was  not  attached  to 
them),  possibly  rolling  slightly  apart  when  that 
which  kept  them  all  together  was  removed. 

So  S.  John  accurately  observed  that  "  the  nap- 
kin, which  was  about  His  Head,"  was  "  not  lying 
with  the  linen  clothes,  but  rolled  together — in  a 
place  by  itself  " — literall}^  "  apart,  in  one  place." 

What  was  it,  then,  which  produced  in  S.  John 
a  conviction  that  our  Lord  had  indeed  risen  ? 
Surely  it  was  the  circumstance  that  he  found  the 
grave-clothes  lying  exactly  as  they  had  been 
wrapped  around  our  Lord's  Body,  and  especially 
the  napkin  retaining  the  form  of  the  Head,  thus 
proving  beyond  question  that  the  Body  had  passed 
out  of  it  without  disturbing  its  folds. 

This  evidence  is  almost  always  overlooked,  and, 


122  Eastertide  Addresses. 

as  it  seems,  misinterpreted — sometimes  even  con- 
tradicted ;  and  yet  the  very  noticeable  change  in 
the  verbs,  which  tells  us  that  the  sight  of  the  grave- 
clothes  produced  faith  in  S.  John,  surely  implies 
something  more  than  that  he  merely  saw  the  cloths 
folded,  which  would  have  been  quite  compatible 
with  the  removal  of  the  Body  by  foes.  And  in 
addition  to  this,  we  have  the  fact  that  the  ordinary 
translation  ignores  the  force  of  ivrv\ia<y gj.^ 

III.  The  lesson  which  we  may  draw  from  this 
scene  is  the  quickness  of  love  to  believe.  '  *  Blessed 
are  they  that  have  not  seen,  and  yet  have  be- 
lieved. ' ' 

*  An  objection  which  has  been  made  to  this  is  that 
when  £i5  is  used  instead  of  ev^  or  rather  has  the  force 
of  ev  (for  8i<i  is  not  infrequently  construed  with  verbs  of 
rest),  the  idea  of  motion  preceding  or  accompanying  was 
originally  included  ;  so  that  erzErvXiyuevov  si?  sva 
roTtov  would  be  translated  "  wrapped  together  [and  put] 
into  one  place,"  the  idea  of  motion  in  putting  it  in  place 
being  understood.  But  is  not  this  rule  equally  satisfied 
if  we  understand  that  when  the  Body  passed  out  of  the 
grave-clothes,  the  napkin,  being  deprived  of  that  which 
kept  it  in  place,  while  retaining  the  form  of  the  Head 
(as  expressed  by  evrsrvXiyjueror),  by  its  weight  rolled 
slightly  apart  (xoopi'i)  into  one  place?  This  gives  to  the 
verb  its  exact  significance,  seems  to  satisfy  all  conditions 
required  by  the  Greek,  and,  at  the  same  time,  explains 
the  extraordinary  conviction  at  once  produced  in  S.John. 

The  Vulgate  of  this  passage,  "  sed separatim  involutum 
in  ununi  locum^'"  seems  to  support  this  view. 


TJie   Visit  to  the  Sepulchre.  123 

Love  has  au  intuition  of  its  own.  No  one  who 
loves  God  is  troubled  much  with  doubts,  for  love 
finds  evidence  for  its  faith  w4iicli  others  would 
entirely  overlook.  As  we  learn,  then,  to  love 
God  more,  we  shall  come  to  know  Him  better, 
and  our  faith  will  have  a  firmer  grasp  of  His 
revelation. 

The  manj^  kinds  of  evidence  for  the  Resurrection 
which  were  offered  to  different  temperaments, 
different  types  of  character,  according  to  the  needs 
of  each,  will  be  noticed  in  considering  the  appear- 
ance of  our  Lord  to  S.  Thomas.* 

Sceptics  speak  of  faith  in  the  Resurrection  as 
the  result  of  an  excited  imagination  in  persons 
who  waiited  to  believe  it.  The  Bible  gives  exactly 
the  opposite  account  ;  it  tells  of  incredulity  in  all , 
even  in  S.  John,  and  that  this  incredulity  w^as 
gradually  overcome  in  individuals  of  different  in- 
tellectual mould  by  different  kinds  of  evidence, 
there  being  given  to  each  that  which  was  most 
convincing  to  him. 

It  is  a  common  though  shallow  accusation  of 
sceptics  that  God  ought  to  have  made  His  reve- 
lation clearer,  so  that  all  might  be  compelled  to 
believe.  But  there  can  be  no  compulsion  of  faith, 
for  then  it  would  cease  to  be  faith.  And  surely 
as  w^e  examine  this  fundamental  miracle  of  the 
Resurrection,  on  the  truth  of  which  Christianity 
*  Chap,  xiii.,  p. 


124  Eastertide  Addresses. 

depends,  it  seems  impossible  to  conceive  of 
clearer  evidence  than  that  of  which  we  read 
in  the  Gospel  record  and  which  effectually  re- 
moved doubt  from  the  minds  of  so  many  different 
individuals. 


it 


VI. 
WHY  WEBPKST  THOU? 

JKSUS  SAITH  UNTO  HKR,  WOMAN,  WHY  WKEPEST 
THOU  ?   WHOM  SKKKKST  THOU  ?  ' ' 

S.  John  XX. ,  15. 


THESE  words  have  a  significance  of  their  own 
which  perhaps  is  not  always  noticed,  and 
which  arises  out  of  the  occasion  on  which 
they  were  spoken.  S.  Mark  tells  us  that  our 
IvORD  after  His  Resurrection  appeared  first  to 
Mary  Magdalene,  and  as  these  were  the  first 
words  which  He  then  addressed  to  her,  we  see 
that  they  are  the  Jlrsf  recorded  words  our  Blessed 
Lord  uttered  after  His  Resurrection. 

They  have,  therefore,  a  twofold  interest  :  that 
which  pertains  to  them  as  the  first  words  of  our 
Lord's  Resurrection  Life,  and  then  that  which 
must  be  aroused  in  us  by  any  question  asked  by 
our  Lord.  For  He  never  asked  any  question  for 
lack  of  knowledge,  but  rather  to  lead  us  to  inves- 
tigate the  true  causes  of  such  actions  as  from  their 

125 


126  Eastertide  Addresses. 

very  frequency  we  are  in  danger  of  misunder- 
standing ;  and  by  this  means  He  would  bring  us 
to  a  clearer  apprehension  of  them. 

But  before  w^e  consider  our  Lord's  question  to 
S.  Mary  Magdalene,  let  us  briefly  trace  w^hat 
passed  after  she,  with  the  other  women,  reached 
the  tomb  and  found  the  stone  rolled  away.  They 
had  carried  the  news  at  once  to  the  other  Disciples, 
S.  Mary  especially  addressing  herself  to  **  Simon 
Peter,  and  to  the  other  Disciple,  w^hom  JKSUS 
loved,"  saying  unto  them,  "  They  have  taken 
away  the  Lord  out  of  the  sepulchre,  and  we  know 
not  where  they  have  laid  Him  "  (S.  John  xx.,  2). 
S.  Peter  and  S.  John  had  then  hastened  to  the 
sepulchre,  and  had  entered  it — S.  Peter  first,  and 
afterwards  S.  John  ;  they  had  seen  there  the  linen 
cloths  lying  still  wrapped  together,  as  when 
swathed  around  the  Body,  and  they  had  departed, 
— S.  Peter  wondering,  S.  John  believing. 

They  had  departed ;  but  Mary  remained  behind, 
and  stood  without  at  the  sepulchre,  weeping  ;  and 
as  she  wept,  she  took  courage  just  to  look  into  the 
sepulchre.  She  sees  **  two  Angels  in  white  sit- 
ting, the  one  at  the  Head,  and  the  other  at  the 
Feet,  where  the  Body  of  Jksus  had  lain  "  (S.  John 
XX.,  12).  They  ask  her  the  question  which  our 
Lord  afterwards  asked  her,  *  *  Woman,  why  weep- 
est  thou  ?  ' ' 

Neither  the   vision   nor   the  question   of  the 


W/iy  Weepest   Thou  f  127 

Angels  seems  to  surprise  or  to  arouse  her.  She 
answers,  very  much  in  the  words  which  she  had 
addressed  to  S.  Peter,  **  Because  they  have  taken 
away  my  Lord,  and  I  know  not  where  they  have 
laid  Him,"  the  chief  difference  being  that  she  sub- 
stitutes, "my  Lord"  for  **  the  Lord."  This 
was  the  burden  of  her  thoughts  ;  this  was  the  one 
idea  in  her  mind. 

She  seems  to  answer  the  Angels  almost  mechani- 
cally. She  asks  them  no  question  ;  she  expresses 
no  surprise  at  their  presence.  She  does  not  even 
seek  their  help.  She  does  but  utter  the  ever- 
recurring  theme  of  her  thoughts,  **  The}-  have 
taken  away  my  Lord,  and  I  know  not  where  they 
have  laid  Him." 

And  then  she  became  conscious  of  someone 
standing  behind  her,  and  turning  back  "  saw 
Jesus  standing,  and  knew  not  that  it  was  Jesus.  ' ' 
How  should  she  know  ?  For  the  jESUS  Whom 
she  sought  was  the  dead  Body  which  she  had 
seen  laid  in  the  grave,  and  for  the  anointing 
of  which  she  had  prepared  and  brought  the 
spices. 

"  Why  weepest  thou  ?  whom  seekest  thou  ?  " 
asks  our  Blessed  Lord.  The  first  words  are  the 
repetition  of  those  of  the  Angel,  but  He  adds 
something  more,  something  expressive  of  sym- 
pathy— ''Who7n  seekest  thou?"  How  rightly 
He  interprets  her  tears,   and,   as  it  were,   says, 


128  Eastertide  Addresses. 

'  *  Sorrov/  such  as  thine  surely  must  be  not  for  a 
thing,  but  for  a  person." 

Why  did  she  weep  ?  For  sorrow  ;  for  love.  It 
was  for  Him  Whom  she  had  lost,  W^ho  had  lifted 
her  from  terrible  sin.  Who  had  freed  her  from  de- 
grading bondage.  Who  had  cleansed  her.  Who 
had  taught  her  the  possibilities  of  another  life,  of 
another  love — a  life  in  which  everything  that  was 
noble  in  her  nature  was  called  forth  ;  a  love  puri- 
fied and  hallowed,  and,  like  all  true  love,  the  joy 
of  her  life. 

Well  might  she  weep,  for  she  had  lost  Him. 

What  did  she  seek  ?     Only,  as  she  supposed.  His 

lifeless  Body.     What  did  she  find  ?     The  risen 

Lord.     Was  ever  joy  like  hers  when  she  heard 

•^,  the  word  ' '  Mary  !  "  ?     We  cannot  realise  it  ;   for 

\  we  cannot  fathom  the  depths  of  her  love,  or  of  her 

';  sorrow.     How,  then,  can  we  measure  the  fulness 

of  her  joy? 

But  here  let  us  stop,  and  leaving  S.  Mary  Mag- 
dalene, let  us  take  the  question  as  addressed  to 
ourselves,  and  endeavour  to  answer  it.  "  Why 
weepest  thou  ?  ' ' 

This  is  a  vale  of  tears,  this  world  through 
which  we  are  passing.  Sorrow  is  the  universal 
monarch  here  ;  sooner  or  later  every  heart  is 
touched  by  his  sceptre,  and  must  bow  before  his 
throne.  How  soon  the  face  which  is  wreathed 
with  smiles  is  bathed  in  tears  !     How  early  upon 


W/ij  Wccpcst   Thou  ?  129 

the  childish  memory  is  ploughed  the  recollection 
of  sorrow  !  This  is  a  vale  of  tears,  for  everyone 
knows  what  it  is  to  weep.  But  how  many  kinds 
of  tears  there  are  !  I^et  us  ask,  Why  do  we 
weep  ?    What  is  the  cause  of  our  sorrow  ? 

I.  There  are  the  tears  of  bitterness,  of  disap- 
pointment, oi  failure;  bitter,  scalding  tears,  which 
give  no  relief  to  the  heart  that  sheds  them  ;  tears 
which  only  make  this  dark  world  still  more  dark 
and  gloomy.  Are  our  tears  ever  of  this  sort  ? 
If  so,  let  us  remember  that  success  in  life  is  really 
of  very  little  value.  For  the  Saints  will  not  be 
ranged  in  Heaven  according  to  the  degree  of  the 
success  which  they  won  in  this  world,  but  some- 
times rather  in  the  order  of  the  failure  of  their 
worldly  plans. 

Let  us  remember  how  dangerous  is  success  in 
this  world,  fanning,  as  it  does,  the  flames  of  am- 
bition and  pride,  luring  the  soul  on  to  dizzy 
heights,  not  of  spiritual  progress,  but  of  worldly 
pre-eminence — dizzy  heights,  from  which  the  fall 
is  proportionately  great.  And  yet  "how  blessed  is 
that  fall,  if  it  takes  place  in  this  life,  and  we  see 
'  *  that  the  world  we  loved  so  much  has  turned  to 
dust  and  ashes  at  our  touch  ' '  ! 

How  many  glory  in  their  own  success  !  How 
many  are  glorified  by  others  because  they  are 
successful,  and  receive  as  their  meed  this  world's 
glory  !    A  Saint  of  jESUs  Christ  in  the  hour  of 


130  Eastertide  Addresses. 

his  darkest  experience,  when  even  his  work  for 
souls — souls,  which  he  loved  so  dearly — seemed 
to  be  an  utter  failure,  proclaimed  as  the  principle 
of  his  life  and  work,  * '  God  forbid  that  I  should 
glory,  save  in  the  Cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  by  Whom  the  world  is  crucified  unto  me, 
and  I  unto  the  world  "  (Gal.  vi.,  14). 
\/  Bitter   tears   of   disappointment   and    failure  ! 

And  yet,  perhaps,  those  very  disappointments, 
those  very  failures  were  God's  loving  ways  of 
drawing  us  to  Himself,  of  holding  us  back  from 
the  dangers  of  success  in  the  world.  For  God  is 
ever  devising  means  ' '  that  His  banished  be  not 
expelled  from  Him  "  (2  Sam.  xiv.,  14);  and  chief- 
est  among  those  means  we  maj-  count  disappoint- 
ments and  the  failures  of  our  worldly  plans. 

If  we  ask  what  event  has  most  changed  the 
course  of  this  world  and  influenced  it  for  good, 
there  can  be  but  one  answer — the  Cross  of  JKSUS 
Christ.  And  yet,  of  what  does  the  Cross  tell  us 
but  of  apparent  failure  ?  We  follow  the  Life  of 
Christ  ;  we  see  its  fair  promises  developing  ;  the 
little  world  in  which  He  lived  gradually  gather- 
ing around  Him,  bearing  witness  to  Him,  '  *  Never 
man  spake  like  this  Man," — "  they  wondered  at 
the  gracious  words  which  proceeded  out  of  His 
Mouth," — they  glorified  Him. 

That  beautiful  Life  promised  so  much,  but  the 
Cross  shows  how  those  promises,  humanly  speak- 


W/ij  Weepest   Thou  ?  131 

ing,  ended  in  failure.  The  nation  He  came  to 
teach  rejected  Him  ;  the  people  He  came  to  save 
crucified  Him  ;  a  few  Disciples  only  remained 
faithful  to  Him  ;  and  3'et  out  of  that  * '  failure  '  * 
came  the  greatest  success  the  world  has  ever 
known,  the  success  which  has  regenerated  man- 
kind ! 

The  bitter  tears  of  disappointment  and  failure — 
are  they  yours  ?  Oh,  if  disappointment  brings 
tears  to  your  eyes,  let  them  not  be  tears  of  rebel- 
lion or  bitterness,  but  gentle  tears,  relieving  the 
burdened  heart, — tears  of  resignation,  tears  of 
patience,  tears  of  thankfulness.  For  * '  They  that 
sow  in  tears  shall  reap  in  joy.  He  that  now 
goeth  on  his  way  weeping,  and  beareth  forth  good 
seed,  shall  doubtless  come  again  with  joy,  and 
bring  his  sheaves  with  him  "  (Ps.  cxxvi.,  6,  7). 

II.  "Why  weepest  thou?"  There  are  other 
tears  than  those  of  disappointment  or  failure. 
There  are  the  tears  of  passion,  tears  caused  by 
the  memory  of  wrongs  done  to  us,  or  perhaps, 
what  is  harder  to  bear,  to  those  we  love  ;  angry 
tears.  But  alas  !  angry  tears  are  useless  tears, 
for  they  hurt  only  ourselves,  not  those  who  have 
wronged  us. 

How  many  lives  are  hardened  by  such  tears, 
by  the  spirit  of  bitterness  that  cannot  forgive,  that 
will  not  forgive  !  Our  lyORD  had  wrongs  done  to 
Him  such  as  none  other  ever  endured,  and  when 


132  Eastertide  Addresses. 

those  wrongs  had  reached  their  climax,  He  said, 
* '  Father,  forgive  them ;  for  they  know  not  what 
they  do  "  (S.  lyuke  xxiii.,  34).  Mary  Magdalene 
had  wrongs  worse  than  her  own — the  wrongs 
done  to  Him  Whom  she  loved  so  well ;  but  her 
tears  were  not  tears  of  anger.  She  had  learned 
the  lesson  of  Calvary,  and  doubtless  could  say 
with  her  I^ord,  "  Forgive  them  ;  for  they  know 
not  what  they  do." 

And  are  our  tears  ever  such  as  these, — are  our 
sorrows  the  outcome  of  injuries  done  to  us,  in- 
juries which  we  resent,  bitterly  resent?  How 
much  misery  does  anger  bring  into  the  world  !  It 
caused  the  first  murder  ;  our  Lord  teaches  that 
it  is  essentially  of  the  same  character  as  murder  : 
*  *  Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said  by  them  of  old 
time.  Thou  shalt  not  kill.  .  .  .  But  I  say 
unto  you.  That  whosoever  is  angry  with  his 
brother  without  a  cause  shall  be  in  danger  of  the 
judgment"  (S.  Matt,  v.,  21,  22).  If  some  wrong 
is  rankling  in  our  heart  and  killing  the  love  of 
God  in  us,  let  us  pray,  **  From  envy,  hatred,  and 
malice,  and  all  uncharitableness,  good  Lord,  de- 
liver us. ' ' 

III.  "Why  weepest  thou?"  Not  only  are 
there  the  tears  of  disappointment  and  of  anger, 
but  yet  again  there  are  the  tears  of  remorse.  In 
the  last  case  we  considered  those  tears  which  are 
caused  by  our  being  unable  to  forgive  others  who 


Why  Wcepest   Thou  ?  133 

have  wronged  us.  Now  we  must  think  of  those 
which  flow  because  we  cannot  forgive  ourselves. 

Remorse  !  What  is  it  but  the  biting  tooth  of 
self-reproach,  finding  its  strength  and  permanence 
in  disappointed  pride !  Remorse !  — the  false  peni- 
tence of  Judas, — not  the  change  but  the  pain  of 
heart,  eating  into  the  life  !  Vain  regrets  for  a 
past  regarded  in  the  light  of  its  consequences 
rather  than  in  relation  to  its  guilt — a  past  which, 
while  it  can  never  be  undone,  can  always  be  re- 
pented of !  Remorse  is  a  foretaste  of  hell,  as 
surely  as  true  penitence  gives  almost  a  foretaste 
of  Heaven  ! 

Such  were  not  the  tears  of  Mary  ;  for  her  sins, 
which  were  many,  were  forgiven,  because  she 
loved  much.  Are  our  tears  ever  of  this  character 
— tears  of  bitter  self-reproach,  not  the  tears  of 
humble  penitence  ? 

IV.  "  Why  weepest  thou?  "  All  these  tears 
which  we  have  been  considering  were  tears  of  bit- 
terness, giving  no  relief  to  the  burdened  heart. 
But  there  is  another  kind  of  sorrow, — the  sorrow 
of  which  our  I^ord  speaks  when  He  says,  *  *  Blessed 
are  they  that  mourn  ;  for  they  shall  be  comforted ' ' 
(S.  Matt,  v.,  4);  the  sorrow  of  which  He  says, 
"  Your  sorrow  shall  be  turned  into  joy  "  (S.  John 
xvi.,  20)  ;  the  tears- of  which  it  is  written  that 
*  *  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes  ' ' 
(Rev.  xxi.,  4);  that "  light  affliction  which   .    .    . 


134  Eastertide  Addresses. 

worketh  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal 
weight  of  glory  "  (2  Cor.  iv.,  17). 

Such  were  the  tears  of  Mary.  They  were  not 
tears  of  disappointment,  though  perhaps  none 
had  ever  been  more  disappointed  than  she,  and 
disappointed  in  the  loss  of  Him  she  loved,  the  bit- 
terest of  all  sorrows  !  No  ;  hers  were  not  tears  of 
anger,  though  He  Whom  she  loved  more  than  life 
had  been  so  grievously  wronged.  Nor  were  they 
tears  of  remorse,  though  her  sins  had  been  many  ; 
they  were  tears  of  sorrow,  gentle  sorrow. 

They  were  like  the  summer  rain  falling  so 
quietly,  and  drunk  in  so  eagerly  by  the  thirsty 
earth ;  like  the  summer  rain,  refreshing  the 
parched  ground  and  reviving  the  drooping 
flowers.  What  a  contrast  there  is  between  the 
rainstorms  of  winter,  in  their  violence  denuding 
the  earth,  leaving  devastation  and  destruction  in 
their  path,  and  the  gentle  showers  of  the  summer  ! 

''  Blessed  are  they  that  mourn  !  "  Yes,  there 
are  tears  which  bring  joy,  which  relieve  the  pent- 
up  feelings,  which  seem  to  moisten  the  hardening 
heart,  which  wash  away  in  their  course  all  bitter- 
ness !  They  are  the  tears  of  a  sorrow  which  is 
borne,  like  Hezekiah's,  in  reliance  upon  God  ! 
*'  I  did  mourn  as  a  dove  :  mine  eyes  fail  with 
looking  upward:  O  I^ord,  I  am  oppressed;  under- 
take for  me.  What  shall  I  say  ?  He  hath  both 
spoken  unto  me,  and  Himself  hath  done  it :  I 


W/ij/  Weepest   Thou  ?  135 

shall  go  softly  all  my  years  in  the  bitterness  of  my 
soul.  O  Lord,  by  these  things  men  live,  and  in 
all  these  things  is  the  life  of  my  spirit  :  so  wilt 
Thou  recover  me,  and  make  me  to  live"  (Isa. 
xxxviii.,  14-16). 

"  Blessed  are  they  that  mourn  ;  for  they  shall 
be  comforted."  "  I  did  mourn  as  a  dove."  Yes, 
as  moved  by  the  Dove,  the  H01.Y  Ghost,  the 
Comforter. 

i.  And  these  blessed  tears  may  have  more  than 
one  cause.  Sometimes  they  come  from  physical 
pain,  from  bodily  suffering  ;  and  yet  the  HoIvY 
Ghost  can  teach  us,  as  He  taught  S.  Paul,  to  re- 
joice in  our  sufferings,  by  enabling  us  to  realise 
that  in  some  mystical  way  they  fill  up  what  is  be- 
hind of  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  for  His  Body's 
sake,  w^hich  is  the  Church  ;  we  can  rejoice  in  our 
bodily  sufferings  because  we  have  learned  that 
they  are  of  sacramental  efficacy  in  uniting  us  to 
Christ  in  His  Passion  (Col.  i.,  24). 

ii.  Again,  there  are  the  tears  which  are  the  re- 
sult of  mental  distress  and  perplexity,  of  dark- 
ness and  gloom,  of  doubt  and  difficulty,  when  we 
cannot  see  our  path,  when  we  cry  to  God  for  help 
and  seem  to  hear  no  answering  Voice — the  sorrow 
oi  feeling  ourselves  forsaken  by  God.  And  yet 
the  Word  of  God  which  records  our  Saviour's 
mysterious  cry  of  dereliction,  *'  My  God,  My 
God,  why  hast  Thou  forsaken  Me  ?  ' '  brings  us 


136  Eastertide  Addresses, 

also  God's  promise,  "  I  will  never  leave  thee,  nor 
forsake  thee  "  (Heb.  xiii.,  5). 

There  are  sorrows  in  which  the  Holy  Ghost 
helps  us  to  say,  "  Though  He  slay  me,  y^\  will  I 
trust  in  Him  ' '  (Job  xiii. ,  15) ;  * '  I  will  not  let  Thee 
go,  except  Thou  bless  me  "  (Gen.  xxxii.,  26)  ; — 
the  tears  of  mental  anguish  which  seem  to  gain 
for  their  answer,  *'  Tarry  thou  the  Lord's  leisure  : 
be  strong,  and  He  shall  comfort  thine  heart ;  and 
put  thou  thy  trust  in  the  Lord  "  (Ps.  xxvii.,  16). 

iii.  And  then,  hardest  of  all  to  bear,  perhaps, 
there  are  the  tears  of  bereaved  affection,  when, 
ytike  Mary,  "  we  mourn  the  lost,  the  dear."  Nay, 
V  not  lost,  but  gone  before  ;  for  our  Lord  at  Easter 
asks  us  the  question,  * '  Why  weepest  thou  ?  ' ' 
that  He  may  gently  bid  us  wipe  our  tears.  And 
when  we  are  tempted,  like  Martha,  to  say  re- 
proachfully, "  Lord,  if  Thou  hadst  been  here, 
my  brother  had  not  died, ' '  He  says  to  us,  '  *  Thy 
brother  shall  rise  again  "  (S.  John  xi.,  21,  23). 

iv.  And  then,  lastly,  there  are  the  tears  which 
spring  from  penitence,  blessed  tears  !  for  "  a 
broken  and  a  contrite  heart,  O  God,  Thou  wilt 
not  despise"  (Ps.  li.,  17). 

Do  our  tears  alwa3^s  come  under  one  of  these 
heads  ?  Are  our  bodil}^  sufferings  borne  in  fellow- 
ship with  our  Lord's  Agony  on  the  Cross,  our 
mental  sufferings  in  union  with  His  cry  of  dere- 
liction ?    Do  we  bear  our  bereavements  looking 


W/ij  Wcepest   Thou?  137 

"  for  the  Resurrection  of  the  dead,  and  the  Life 
of  the  world  to  come  ' '  ?  Do  we  make  the  re- 
membrance of  our  sins  the  fuel  of  love,  because 
they  have  been  washed  away  in  the  Precious 
Blood  ? 

' '  Why  weepest  thou  ?  ' '  How  happ}^  if  we  can 
answer.  Because  we  have  learned  the  sacramental 
efficacy  of  sorrow  :  because  we  have  experienced 
the  truth,  **  Blessed  are  they  that  mourn  ;  for  they 
shall  be  comforted  ' '  :  because  we  would  not  lose 
that  special  joy  of  Heaven,  when  our  tears  shall 
all  be  wiped  away  by  God's  own  Hand!  How 
sad  it  would  be  in  that  blessed  day  to  have  no 
tears  for  God  to  wipe  away  ! 


VII. 
WHOM  SKKKEST  THOU? 

* '  JKSUS  SAITH  UNTO  HKR,  WOMAN,  WHY  WEEPKST 
THOU  ?  WHOM  SEEKKST  THOU  ?  ' ' 

►S.  John  XX. ,  75. 

THERE  are  really  two  questions  here,  though 
they  are  most  intimately  connected.  ' '  Why 
weepest  thou  ?  whom  seekest  thou  ?  ' '  The 
first  had  already  been  asked  by  the  Angels.  In 
the  second  our  L^ord  rightly  interprets  Mary's 
grief  when  He  asks,  ' '  Who7n  seekest  thou  ? ' '  He 
assumes  that  grief  such  as  hers  can  be  only  for  a 
person,  not  for  a  thing  ;  that  the  calamity  which 
has  caused  her  grief  must  be  the  loss  of  one  she 
loved. 

In  the  last  address  we  considered  the  words 
' '  Why  weepest  thou  ?  ' '  Now  let  us  turn  to  the 
remainder  of  the  question,  "  Whom  seekest 
thou?" 

As  we  have  before  noticed,  our  I^ord's  ques- 
tions were  never  asked  because  He  needed  to 

138 


Whom  Seekest  Thou  ?  1 39 

know,  for,  being  omniscient,  He  knew  all  things. 
His  questions  were  always  intended  to  awaken  in 
those  to  whom  they  were  addressed  (and  also  in 
ourselves)  a  deeper  train  of  thought  than  the  mere 
words  themselves  might  seem  to  suggest. 

In  Mary's  case,  she  was  seeking  not  only  her 
love,  but  her  Lord  ;  she  sought  Him  Who  was 
not  only  her  life,  but  also  her  religion.  She  was 
impelled  in  her  search  not  only  by  her  love,  but 
by  her  allegiance,  for  Christ  was  indeed  her  All. 
It  was  not  that  His  teachings  had  merely  helped 
her  and  guided  her  in  her  life  ;  it  was  that  His 
power  had  cleansed  her  and  cast  out  of  her  seven 
devils.  He  was,  therefore,  not  only  the  object  of 
her  affections  ;  He  was  also,  as  she  said,  her 
Lord. 

■  I.  "  Whom  seekest  thou  ? ' '  When  we  ask  this 
question  of  ourselves  in  regard  to  our  religious  life 
we  are  at  the  very  outset  confronted  with  that 
unique  feature  which  differentiates  Christianity 
from  every  other  religion  which  has  claimed  the 
allegiance  of  man. 

Many  points  of  resemblance  may  be  traced  be- 
tween Christianity  and  those  earlier  religions 
which,  though  imperfect  and  mingled  with  much 
error,  were  still  adumbrations  of  Christianity, 
since  the  Word  ever  was  and  is  "  the  Light 
Which  light eth  every  man  that  cometh  into  the 
world  "  (S.  John  i.,  9).    All  these,  however,  dififer 


140  Eastertide  Addresses, 

from  Christianity  in  this,  that  they  claim  alle- 
giance to  a  system  of  philosophy  or  of  religion, 
while  Christianity  demands  devotion  to  a  Person. 

Buddhism,  Confucianism,  Islamism,  are  all  of 
them  systems  which  have  no  essential  or  continu- 
ous relation  to  their  founders,  though  they  are 
associated  with  their  names.  Any  one  of  these 
religions  could  be  accepted  and  practised  by 
those  who  knew  nothing  of  the  life  or  character 
of  the  founder.  They  demand  the  observance  of 
a  set  of  rules  ;  that  is,  they  enjoin  certain  pre- 
cepts, which  would  be  just  as  valuable  and  just 
as  binding  if  Buddha  and  Confucius  and  Mahomet 
had  been  merely  mythical  personages. 

Christianity,  on  the  other  hand,  is  the  religion 
of  Christ,  and  if  there  were  any  uncertainty 
about  Him,  about  His  Person  and  Character, 
Christianity,  except  as  a  mere  ethical  S3^stem, 
would  be  an  utter  failure.  The  Mahometan  may 
claim  as  his  faith  that  ' '  Allah  is  great,  and  Ma- 
homet is  His  prophet,"  but  Mahomet  is  after  all 
only  a  memory.  The  Christian,  on  the  other 
hand,  sums  up  his  religion  in  the  words  of  S. 
Paul,  ''  Christ  is  All  "  (Col.  iii.,  11). 

Take  away  Christ,  and  Christianity  fails.  For 
by  Christ  the  Christian  means  not  a  memory, 
but  Christ  the  living  Person,  Who  demands  the 
devotion  of  the  heart  and  mind  and  life  as  much 
as,  nay  more  than,  when  He  walked  this  earth. 


Whom  Seekest  Thou  ?  141 

II.  ' '  Whom  seekest  thou  ? ' '  Let  us  see  what 
the  answer  to  this  question  involves. 

i.  In  the  first  place  it  involves  some  knowledge 
of  Christ's  Life  and  history.  To  the  Mahometan 
or  Buddhist  it  may  be  of  interest  to  know  the 
story  of  the  life  of  the  founder  of  his  religion,  just 
as  we  are  interested  in  knowing  the  lives  of  all 
great  men  who  b}^  their  personal  force  or  teaching 
have  influenced  the  current  of  events  in  which  we 
find  ourselves  involved. 

To  the  Christian  it  is  not  merely  interesting  but 
it  is  esse7itial  to  know  the  Life  of  Christ,  for  the 
events  of  His  Life  are  the. dogmas  of  our  faith.  It 
is  not  only  interesting  to  learn  about  the  birth  and 
parentage  of  our  Blessed  Lord  ;  it  is  essential,  for 
the  Incarnation  is  the  keystone  of  Christianity. 

It  is  not  only  interesting  to  read  the  story  of 
our  Lord's  Passion  and  Death  ;  it  is  essential,  for 
"  with  His  stripes  we  are  healed  "  (Isa.  liii.,  5), 
by  His  Death  we  are  saved.  His  Cross  is  our  hope 
and  refuge,  and  by  His  Precious  Blood  we  were 
redeemed. 

It  is  not  only  of  interest  to  be  told  the  story  of 
our  Lord's  Temptation  ;  it  is  necessary  that  we 
should  know  that  * '  we  have  not  an  High  Priest 
Which  cannot  be  touched  with  the  feeling  of  our 
infirmities  ;  but  was  in  all  points  tempted  like  as 
we  are,  yet  without  sin  "  (Heb.  iv.,  15). 

It  is  not  only  interesting  to  hear  that  He  rose 


142  Eastertide  Addresses. 

again  the  third  day,  and  ascended  into  Heaven  ; 
it  is  essential  to  kiiow  this,  for  if  Christ  be  not 
raised  our  faith  is  vain,  we  are  yet  in  our  sins 
(i  Cor.  XV.,  17);  and  if  Christ  be  not  ascended 
He  has  not  *  *  opened  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  to 
all  behevers,"  and  we  cannot  follow  Him  ''  in 
heart  and  mind,  and  with  Him  continually  dwell." 

In  a  word,  if  we  are  seeking  as  the  end  of  our 
religion  not  the  observance  of  a  system  of  rules, 
but  devotion  to  a  living  Person,  we  must  certainly 
know  His  lyife. 

ii.  Moreover,  we  must  not  only  know  the  events 
of  His  Ivife,  we  must  also  make  that  I^ife  our  ex- 
ample, for  every  act  of  His  I^ife  becomes  a  law  of 
our  own  life.  Again  and  again  He  told  those 
whom  He  called  to  be  His  Disciples  that  they 
must  follow  Him,  and  He  made  this  the  condition 
of  discipleship  when  He  said,  "  If  any  man  will 
come  after  Me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up 
his  cross  daily,  and  follow  Me  "  (S.  Luke  ix.,  23). 

iii.  We  must  not  only  know  the  events  of  His 
lyife  and  follow  His  example,  but  we  must  also 
study  His  teachings  ;  for  those  who  believe  not 
in  Him  yet  bear  witness  that  * '  never  man  spake 
like  this  Man  " (S.  John  vii. ,  46) ;  and  He  Himself 
has  said,  "  The  words  that  I  speak  unto  you,  they 
are  spirit,  and  they  are  life  "  (S.  John  vi. ,  63),  ' '  He 
that  .  .  .  receiveth  not  My  words,  hath  one 
that  judgeth  him  :  the  word  that  I  have  spoken, 


WJiom  Seekest   Thou  f  143 

the  same  shall  judge  him  in  the  last  day"  (S. 
John  xii. ,  48),  "  If  a  man  love  Me,  he  will  keep  My 
words  "  (S.  John  xiv.,  23). 

iv.  And  is  this  all  ?  No  ;  for  it  is  possible  to 
know  a  great  deal  about  Christ — in  some  measure 
to  accept  Him  as  the  perfect  example — and  even 
to  look  upon  His  teachings  as  the  best  guide  in 
the  affairs  of  life,  and  yet  in  no  real  sense  to  be  a 
Christian. 

Something  more  is  wanted,  and  that  is  devotion 
to  Himself,  to  His  Person.  S.  Paul's  prayer  was 
"  that  I  may  know  Him,  and  the  power  of  His 
Resurrection,  and  the  fellowship  of  His  sufferings' ' 
(Phil.  iii. ,  10).  There  is  an  immense  difference  be- 
tween knowing  Him  and  "  knowing  about  "  Him, 
between  devotion  to  Him  and  mere  interest,  or 
even  faith,  in  the  story  of  His  Life. 

S.  Paul  did  not  praj^  that  he  might  know  the 
fact  of  His  Resurrection,  but  its  power.  The 
knowledge  of  the  fact  would  be  to  us  of  little  value 
unless  we  experienced  its  power  as  a  force  making 
itself  felt  in  our  own  lives.  S.  Paul  did  not  pray 
that  he  might  comprehend  the  greatness  of  our 
Lord's  sufferings,  but  that  he  might  know  their 
fellowship,  that  is,  that  he  might  suffer  in  union 
with  Christ. 

Oh  wonderful  thought !  if  we  are  seeking  Christ 
as  the  end  of  our  religious  life,  it  involves  not  only 
a  knowledge  of  His  Life  and  teaching  and  ex- 


144  Eastertide  Addresses. 

ample,  but  a  knowledge  of  Him,  a  devotion  to 
Him,  a  union  with  Him  which  makes  His  Life 
and  teaching  and  example  a  living  force  in  our 
own  moral  development. 

Observe,  it  is  devotion  to  His  Person,  not  to 
His  memory  only  ;  and  then  remember  that  His 
Person  is  not  a  human  person,  but  the  Person  of 
the  Word  of  God,  the  Second  Person  of  the  ever 
Blessed  Trinity. 

V.  Once  more  we  ask,  What  does  this  seeking 
of  Christ  involve  ?  When  we  realise  that  He  is 
our  All,  that  He  claims  not  our  allegiance  to  a 
mere  system  of  theology,  but  our  devotion  to  His 
Person,  and  that  He  is  God,  surely  love,  obe- 
dience, loyalty  must  follow. 

lyove, — for  "  Greater  love  hath  no  man  than 
this,  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends  ' ' 
(S.  John  XV.,  13),  and  love  begets  love  ;  if  He  so 
loved  us,  we  must  love  Him. 

But  love  implies  obedience,  for  "  If  ye  love  Me, 
keep  My  commandments"  (S.  John  xiv.,  15). 
* '  If  a  man  love  Me,  he  will  keep  My  words ' ' 
(verse  23). 

And  again,  love  implies  loyalty  ;  not  only  obe- 
dience to  precept,  but  that  obedience  of  which  S. 
Paul  speaks  as  "  bringing  into  captivity  every 
thought  to  the  obedience  of  Christ  ' '  (2  Cor.  x. , 
5), — which  is  the  expression  of  a  loyalty  so  great 
that  not  only  our  words  and  acts,  but  even  our 


Whom  Seckest  Thou  f  145 

very  thoughts  constantly  express  our  loyalty  to 
Him  Who  is  our  All, 

vi.  Once  more  let  us  each  ask  ourselves  the 
question,  ' '  Whom  am  I  seeking  in  my  religious 
life  ? ' '  And  in  answering  it  let  us  not  be  con- 
tented to  say,  '  *  I  am  seeking  Christ.  ' '  I^et  us 
go  on  to  consider  in  what  way  we  are  seeking 
Christ — whether  we  are  seeking  Him  merely 
that  we  may  know  a  great  deal  about  Him,  or  that 
we  may  know  Him  as  our  Lord  and  our  God, 
as  the  supreme  object  of  our  love  and  of  our  devo- 
tion, that  we  may  know  Him,  Whom  truly  to 
know  is  life  eternal. 


VIII. 
S.    MARY   MAGDALENE. 

' '  JKSUS  SAITH  UNTO  HKR,  TOUCH  MB  NOT  ;  FOR  I 
AM  NOT  YKT  ASCKNDKD  TO  MY  FATHKR  : 
BUT  GO  TO  MY  BRETHRKN,  AND  SAY  UNTO 
THKM,  I  ASCKND  UNTO  MY  FATHER,  AND 
YOUR  FATHKR  ;  AND  TO  MY  GOD,  AND  YOUR 
GOD."      S.  Joh7l  XX.^  ly, 

TO  some  this  passage  has  seemed  one  of  diffi- 
culty ;  it  will  therefore  be  well  for  us  to  ex- 
amine it  and  to  endeavour  to  grasp  its  true 
meaning,  before  we  proceed  to  apply  its  lessons  to 
our  own  lives. 

The  apparent  difficulty  is  twofold  :  to  determine 
exactly  the  nature  and  purpose  of  S.  Mary  Mag- 
dalene's "  touch  "  ;  and  to  understand  the  relation 
between  the  prohibition,  *'  Touch  Me  not,"  and 
the  reason  given — "  for  I  am  not  yet  ascended." 

i.  There  is  one  interpretation  which  must  be 
noticed  only  to  be  emphatically  condemned,  an 
interpretation  which  makes  the  reason  of  the  pro- 

146 


6*.  Mary  Magdalene.  147 

hibition  to  be  the  character  of  the  special  sin  of  S. 
Mary  Magdalene's  life, — assuming  that  she  was 
the  woman  mentioned  in  S.  I^uke  vii.,  37,  who 
was  * '  a  sinner. ' ' 

That  this  interpretation  has  found  favour  with 
some  is  amazing,  since  it  surely  shows  an  entire 
misapprehension  not  only  of  our  Blessed  Lord's 
love  for  sinners,  but  of  His  whole  Ministry.  And 
it  is  quite  inconsistent  to  suppose  that  He,  Who 
had  allowed  her  at  the  beginning  of  her  penitence 
to  wash  His  Feet  with  her  tears  and  wipe  them 
with  the  hairs  of  her  head,  would  repulse  her  and 
forbid  her  to  touch  Him  after  she  had  been  not 
only  washed  and  sanctified,  but  also  had  proved 
her  love  both  at  the  Cross  and  at  the  tomb.  Nor 
may  we  suppose  that  sin  of  any  one  character, 
when  forgiven,  can  be  a  bar  between  the  penitent 
and  the  Saviour. 

ii.  Upon  consideration  it  seems  clear  that  the  pro- 
hibition refers  to  the  earthly  character  of  Mary's 
faith  and  love,  and  it  may  be  best  understood  by 
comparing  this  scene  with  its  contrast  in  the  27th 
verse  of  this  chapter,  where  our  Lord  says  to  S. 
Thomas,  "  Reach  hither  thy  finger,  and  behold 
My  Hands  ;  and  reach  hither  thy  hand,  and  thrust 
it  into  My  Side  :  and  be  not  faithless,  but  be- 
lieving." 

Mary  looked  07ily  for  the  restoration  of  our 
Lord's  Life  under  its  earthly  conditions  ;  and  in 


148  Eastertide  Addresses. 

clinging  to  Him  she  would,  as  it  were,  retain  the 
old  earthly  relationship  and  affection.  She  had 
been  seeking  for  the  dead  Body  of  her  Lord,  and 
now  that  she  found  Him  living,  she  thought  only 
of  His  restoration  to  the  old  life  of  earth.  Our 
Blessed  lyORD  in  saying,  "  Touch  Me  not,"  cor- 
rects her  conception  of  His  merely  Human 
Presence,  lifting  her  love  to  a  higher  plane,  and 
pointing  her  to  the  truer  and  closer  relationship 
which  was  to  be  hers  after  His  Ascension. 

S.  Thomas,  on  the  other  hand,  thought  the 
restoration  of  the  earthly  life  impossible,  and 
being  offered  the  proof  which  he  demanded, 
rises  from  the  recognition  of  the  earthly  form 
to  the  fullest  confession  of  the  Godhead  of  his 
beloved  Master. 

Mary  substitutes  a  knowledge  of  the  Humanity 
of  Christ  for  a  knowledge  of  His  whole  Person. 
Our  lyORD  in  saying,  **  Cling  not  to  Me  "  (yw^  }j.ov 
anrov),  teaches  her  not  to  desire  to  retain  the 
merely  human  relationship,  but  to  look  for  one 
which  because  spiritual  is  higher  and  closer.  He 
does  not  repulse  her  love,  but  He  rewards  it  by 
making  her  His  messenger  to  His  brethren,  al- 
lowing her  the  privilege  of  being  the  first  to 
announce  the  joyful  tidings  of  His  Resurrection. 

II.  While  it  seems  clear  that  we  must  consider 
this  to  be  the  right  meaning  of  the  words  '  *  Touch 
Me  not, "  it  is  perhaps  a  little  more  difficult  to  see 


S.  Mary  Magdalene.  149 

the  connection  of  this  prohibition  with  the  saying 
"  for  I  am  not  yet  ascended  to  My  Father." 

The  explanation  of  the  difficulty,  however,  is 
to  be  found  in  a  realisation  of  the  very  fact  to 
which  our  Lord  alludes, — that  His  Life  during 
the  Forty  Daj's  between  His  Resurrection  and 
Ascension  was  peculiar,  and  in  a  certain  sense  an 
* '  intermediate  ' '  state.  For  though  His  Human- 
ity possessed  all  the  attributes  of  the  Resurrection 
Body,  It  had  not  yet  been  raised  to  the  Right 
Hand  of  the  Throne  of  God  ;  and  the  Hoi,y 
Spirit,  by  Whose  operation  the  intimate  union 
between  the  soul  and  our  Lord  in  glory  is 
effected,  had  not  yet  been  given. 

That  is  to  say,  the  earthly  conditions  and  re- 
lationships had  passed  away  at  the  Resurrection, 
but  the  heavenly  ones  were  not  j^et  fully  estab- 
lished. So  He  says,  "  Cling  not  to  Me,  as  though 
I  were  under  the  conditions  of  mere  earthly  re- 
lationship, but  work  for  Me  now  as  My  messenger 
to  My  brethren,  and  look  for\\^ard  soon  to  possess- 
ing Me  by  being  incorporated  into  Me." 

III.  Having  thus  far  endeavoured  to  clear  up  the 
apparent  difficulties  in  the  text,  let  us  now  con- 
sider,the  spiritual  lesson  which  it  teaches  us  at 
Eastertide.  Its  great  lesson  is  one  which  is  most 
needed  at  this  season,  namel}^  that  Easter  is  not 
a  halH7ig-place  in  the  spiritual  life. 

i.  How  often,  by  a  well-kept  Lent,  with  its  prayer 


150  Eastertide  Addresses. 

and  self-denial  and  penitence,  do  we  make  real 
progress  along  the  narrow  way,  and  then  when 
Baster  comes  we  relax  our  efforts  and  are  content 
to  stand  still  !  And,  therefore,  since  it  is  impos- 
sible to  stand  still  in  the  spiritual  life,  we  go  back, 
and  lose  the  fruit  of  our  hard-earned  victories. 

No;  Easter,  so  far  from  being  a  halting-place,  is 
but  the  beginning  of  a  new  and  higher  life.  Lent 
calls  us  chiefl}^  to  the  negative  work  of  penitence, 
the  removal  of  sins  and  habits  which  are  obstacles 
to  progress  ;  and  then,  when  Kaster  comes,  there 
is  the  command,  ' '  Friend,  go  up  higher  ' ' ; — there 
is  the  message  with  which  Mary  Magdalene  was 
charged,  '  *  Go  to  My  brethren,  and  say  unto  them, 
I  am  ascending  unto  My  Father,  and  your 
Father  ;  and  to  My  God,  and  your  God." 
Follow  Me. 

ii.  How  seldom  we  realise  that  the  Resurrection 
was  but  an  act,  and  not  a  state  !  There  was  the 
earthquake,  and  the  rolling  away  of  the  stone, 
but  the  Lord  had  risen.  So  in  the  sinner's  life 
there  is  the  earthquake,  the  uprooting  of  his  whole 
nature  by  some  great  act  of  penitence,  the  rolling 
awaj^  of  the  stone  of  sin  as  he  receives  his  Abso- 
lution, and  then  he  is  risen. 

And  here  comes  in  the  teaching  of  the  opening 
words  of  the  Epistle  for  Easter  Day — which  are 
not  as  we  have  them  in  our  version,  "  If  ye  then  be 
risen  with  Christ,  ' '  but  (the  verb  is  in  the  aorist) 


S.  Mary  Magdalene.  151 

"  If  ye  then  were  raised  ys\\h  Christ  "  (pointing 
not  to  a  state,  but  to  a  distinct  act  by  which  the 
Resurrection  was  accomplished,  the  act  of  Baptism 
or  of  Absolution).  *'  If"  this  act  has  been  ac- 
complished, then  *'  seek  those  things  which  are 
above,  where  Christ  sitteth  on  the  Right  Hand 
of  God." 

iii.  It  is  not  the  Resurrection  Life,  but  the  Life 
of  Ascension  which  follows  on  Easter  Day.  This  is 
what  our  Lord  indicates  in  His  first  message  :  "  I 
am  ascending  ' '  {av affair 00),  The  act  is  not  com- 
pleted, but  is  going  on.  And  it  is  not  a  little 
striking  that  our  Lord  in  this  text  uses  the  same 
words  as  in  the  text  which  has  already  been 
quoted  from  the  Parable  in  S.  Luke  xiv.,  7-12. 

It  is  the  soul  which  has  taken  its  place  in  ' '  the 
lowest  room,"  in  all  the  humility  of  penitence,  to 
whom  our  Lord  addresses  the  words,  "  Friend, 
go  up  higher."  And  here  again  we  may  note 
that  the  word  "  friend  "  in  the  original  is  not  the 
word  STaipe^  which  is  used  four  times  in  S.  Mat- 
thew— xi.,  16  ;  XX.,  13  ;  xxii.,  12  ;  xxvi.,  50 — 
but  the  word  cpiXs,  "  beloved." 

It  is  only  to  those  whose  sins  have  been  for- 
given that  He  can  apply  this  term  of  love.  To 
such  He  says,  *'  Go  up  higher  "  {n poa av a ftifQ i) 
— the  word  used  in  our  text,  ' '  I  am  ascending  to 
My  Father,"  etc. 

How  glorious  for  us  if  instead  of  resting  upon 


152  Eastertide  Addresses, 

our  Lenten  victories  we  press  forward  in  the 
Ascended  Life,  following  our  Lord  in  heart  and 
mind,  and  with  Him  continually  dwelling !  Then 
the  years  as  they  pass  will  be  one  long  going  up 
higher,  until  we  rest  at  last  in  the  Most  High. 

How  often  now  each  Lent  we  fight  over  again 
the  old  battles,  to  win  at  Kaster  the  same  place  ; 
and  then,  through  the  reaction  which  often  sets 
in  at  Easter,  and  the  want  of  watchfulness  and  of 
realising  the  command,  *'  Go  up  higher,"  we  lose 
the  ground  we  have  gained,  and  next  year  have 
to  begin  all  over  again  ! 

Lent  is  over,  Easter  is  come,  and  we  must  lift 
our  eyes  from  the  details  of  our  Lord's  earthly 
Life  to  the  glories  of  Heaven.  We  must  remem- 
ber, too,  that  not  only  is  our  Lord  the  '*  First- 
Begotten  from  the  dead,"  but  that  in  the  Session 
of  His  Glorified  Humanitj^  at  the  Right  Hand  of 
the  Father  we  see  the  First-Fruits  of  humanity 
raised  to  the  glory  for  which  God  originally  cre- 
ated it ;  for  in  our  Blessed  Lord's  Exaltation  we 
read  the  assurance  of  our  own. 


it 


IX. 

S.  PETER. 

THK   I.ORD   IS    RISKN   INDEED,    AND   HATH    AP- 
PEARED TO  SIMON."     6*.  Lake,  xxiv.,  j/. 


OF  all  our  Lord's  Disciples  and  Apostles,  tlie 
saddest,  when  Easter  Day  dawned,  must 
have  been  S.  Peter.     Of  all  who  needed 
Jesus  then,  surely  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that 
he  needed  Him  the  most. 

I.  What  a  Good  Friday  had  S.  Peter  passed  ! 
He  had  not  been  with  S.  John  and  the  three 
Marys  at  the  foot  of  the  Cross.  Nor  does  it  seem 
probable  that  he  was  with  the  Apostles,  who, 
though  in  their  cowardice  they  had  forsaken  their 
Lord  in  His  hour  of  need,  were  yet  perhaps  among 
those  who  stood  afar  off ;  he  may,  however,  have 
beheld  the  scene  from  a  distance. 

S.  Peter  must  have  been  alone  in  his  misery, 
for  not  only  had  he  deserted  his  Master,  but  he 
had  denied  Him,  not  once,  nor  twice,  but  thrice  ; 
and  this  after  his  vehement  declaration,   "  If  I 

153 


154  Eastertide  Addresses. 

should  die  with  Thee,  I  will  not  deny  Thee  in  any- 
wise. "  It  is  true  the3^  had  all  said  this,  but  our 
Lord  had  especially  warned  S.  Peter  and  ex- 
pressly foretold  his  denial. 

It  would  seem  difficult  for  us  to  understand  how 
S.  Peter  could  have  fallen  into  this  sin  after  the 
warning,  were  it  not  for  our  knowledge  of  our  own 
wayward  hearts,  of  our  own  weak  wills — were  it 
not  that  so  often  we  do  the  same  things  ourselves. 

He  had  denied  his  Lord,  but  Jesus  had 
'  *  turned,  and  looked  upon  Peter  ' ' ;  and,  pierced 
by  that  look,  ' '  Peter  went  out,  and  wept  bitterly. ' ' 

What  must  have  been  S.  Peter's  thoughts  ! 
In  the  hour  of  his  trial,  after  all  his  promises, 
after  his  Master's  warning,  he  had  failed.  It 
would  not  have  seemed  so  hard  to  bear  if  he 
could  only  have  told  our  Lord  of  his  bitter  sorrow, 
of  his  deep  penitence, — but  after  having  denied 
Him,  he  had  silently  to  see  Him  dragged  away 
to  suffer  the  greatest  ignominy,  and  to  die  a 
malefactor's  death  ! 

S.  Peter  had  a  strong,  affectionate  nature,  and 
though  he  had  denied  his  Master  he  loved  Him, 
and  he  must  indeed  have  been  broken-hearted  ; 
but  he  was  a  broken-hearted  penitent.  For,  with 
all  his  deep  self-reproach,  his  sorrow  was  not, 
like  that  of  Judas,  remorse  and  despair.  No  ;  that 
look  of  JKSUS,  which  brought  him  to  himself  and 
to  penitence,  saved  him  from  despair.     For  while 


5.  Peter.  155 

the  look  must  have  been  one  of  reproach,  it  was 
also,  we  may  be  sure,  one  of  love. 

And  as  S.  Peter  went  out,  and  in  his  misery 
sorrowed  over  his  sin,  we  can  understand  how 
that  look  must  have  reminded  him  of  another 
supreme  moment  in  his  life,  when,  brought  to 
Christ  by  his  brother  Andrew,  he  had  for  the 
first  time  seen  our  Lord. 

For  we  are  told  that  then,  "  when  Je:sus  beheld 
him.  He  said.  Thou  art  Simon  the  son  of  Jona  : 
thou  shalt  be  called  Cephas,  which  is  by  interpre- 
tation, A  stone  "  (S.  John  i.,  42).  In  this  verse 
the  term  ''beheld"  does  but  faintly  convey  the 
force  of  the  word  efj.f^\e^pa?,  which  seems  to  sig- 
nify that  our  Lord  fixed  upon  S.  Peter  one  of 
those  piercing  glances  which  looked  him  through 
and  through  and  read  as  it  were  his  inmost  soul  ; 
and  it  was  then,  when  S.  Peter  felt  that  our  Lord 
knew  him  as  no  one  else  had  ever  known  him, 
that  our  Lord  uttered  the  prophecy  ' '  Thou  shalt 
be  called  Cephas. ' ' 

We  can  imagine  S.  Peter  going  away  from  our 
Lord  and  thinking  over  and  over  again,  ' '  That 
first  interview  !  That  piercing  look  !  How  thor- 
oughly He  read  me,  how  fully  He  knew  me  !  He 
saw  all  my  weakness,  all  my  sin  ;  and  yet  He  said 
I  might  become  a  rock.  And  I  will  become  a 
rock!" 

Let  us  consider  how  much  had  passed  in  those 


156  Eastertide  Addresses. 

three  years  of  trial  and  temptation  ;  how  much 
that  was  glorious, — how  much  that  was  sad  !  On 
the  one  hand  there  was  that  splendid  confession 
of  faith  which  brought  from  our  Lord's  lips  the 
praise,  ' '  Blessed  art  thou,  Simon  Bar-Jona  :  for 
flesh  and  blood  hath  not  revealed  it  unto  thee, 
but  My  Father  which  is  in  Heaven.  And  I  say 
also  unto  thee,  That  thou  art  Peter,  and  upon  this 
rock  I  will  build  My  Church." 

But  then  on  the  other  hand  there  were  the  many 
failures,  the  many  rebukes,  beginning  with  '*  O 
thou  of  little  faith,  wherefore  didst  thou  doubt  ?  " 
(S.  Matt,  xiv.,  31),  and  increasing  in  severity 
until  at  last  he  heard  the  startling  words;  '  *  Get 
thee  behind  Me,  Satan  :  thou  art  an  offence  unto 
Me  :  for  thou  savourest  not  the  things  that  be 
of  God,  but  those  that  be  of  men"  (S.  Matt, 
xvi.,  23). 

Then  on  the  eve  of  the  Passion,  after  the  won- 
derful teachings  of  Holy  Week,  after  the  great 
discourses,  after  the  institution  of  the  Eucharist, 
S.  Peter,  in  his  passionate  love  for  his  Master, 
had  thought  he  could  trust  himself,  and  had 
said,  "  I  will  lay  down  my  life  for  Thy  sake." 
But  his  Master  had  replied,  ''  Wilt  thou  lay  down 
thy  life  for  My  sake  ?  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
thee,  The  cock  shall  not  crow,  till  thou  hast  de- 
nied Me  thrice  "  (S.  John  xiii.,  37,  38). 

And  yet,  in  spite  of  the  warning,  he  had  utterly 


5.  Peter.  157 

failed  and  shown  himself  no  better  than  a  coward. 
He  who  could  draw  his  sword  against  a  band  of 
soldiers,  had  been  afraid  to  confess  his  Master. 

What  a  Good  Friday  that  must  have  been  for 
S.  Peter,  with  all  this  burden  upon  him  ;  with 
the  longing  to  get  near  to  our  L^ord  that  he 
might  say  one  word  of  penitence  to  Him,  and 
hear  one  word  of  forgiveness  !  But  it  was  too 
late  ;  He  died  without  speaking  to  him.  Then 
came  Holy  Saturday,  when  perhaps  he  sat  apart 
from  the  others,  and  thought  over  all  these  things 
again  and  again  in  the  bitterness  of  his  soul  ! 

Yes,  there  was  none  who  needed  JKSUS  on  Kaster 
Day  so  much  as  S.  Peter  ;  and  so,  after  first  re- 
warding Mary  Magdalene's  love,  our  lyORD  next 
blesses  S.  Peter's  penitence.  None  can  long  for 
Christ,  none  can  really  feel  the  throes  of  peni- 
tence, without  winning  from  our  Lord  the  assur- 
ance of  His  love  and  pardon. 

II.  "  The  Lord  is  risen  indeed,  and  hath  ap- 
peared to  Simon."  What  happened  at  that  ap- 
pearance— what  S.  Peter  told  our  Lord,  what 
Jesus  said  to  Peter — we  know  not,  excepting  so 
far  as  we  read  its  results  in  the  history  of  S. 
Peter's  after-life. 

Of  the  appearances  on  Kaster  Day  this  seems  to 
be  the  only  one  of  which  we  are  told  nothing  but 
the  fact  ;  and  yet  from  this  very  silence  we  may 
learn  the  lesson  that  all  real  penitence  must  be  in 


158  Eastertide  Addresses. 

secret, — that  a  veil  must  ever  be  drawn  over  the 
outpouring  of  the  sin-laden  soul,  of  the  burdened 
heart,  at  the  Feet  of  JKSUS. 

So  the  Church  draws  the  veil  of  the  Sacramen- 
tal Seal  over  all  penitence.  What  the  Priest 
knows  as  God's  ambassador  he  must  know  less 
than  what  he  does  not  know  at  all.  He  comes 
not  between  the  soul  and  God  ;  but,  as  the  am- 
bassador of  Christ,  he  comes  to  hear  the  story 
of  sorrow,  to  bring  the  message  of  love,  to  bind 
up  the  wounds  of  the  soul,  *'  to  appoint  unto  them 
that  mourn  in  Zion,  to  give  them  beauty  for 
ashes,  the  oil  of  joy  for  mourning,  the  garment  of 
praise  for  the  spirit  of  heaviness  "  (Isa.  Ixi.,  3). 

And  may  we  not  apply  much  of  this  to  our- 
selves— we  who  are  so  much  more  like  S.  Peter 
in  our  denial  of  Christ  than  we  are  like  him  in 
our  love  and  penitence, — we,  whose  consciences 
accuse  us  of  such  grievous  sin  against  our  Lord, 
whose  hearts  tell  us  of  our  great  need  of  pardon 
and  help  ? 

Put  yourself  at  the  foot  of  the  Cross.  Behold 
our  Lord  dying  there,  as  S.  Peter  probably  be- 
held Him.  And  as  you  gaze  upon  Him,  realise, 
as  S.  Peter  did  perhaps  more  than  anyone  else, 
how  you  have  sinned  against  Him.  Think  of  all 
your  cowardice,  all  your  disloyalty,  all  your  want 
of  love.  Pray  Him  to  look  you  into  penitence,  as 
He  looked  S.  Peter. 


5.  Peter. 


159 


Did  you  do  this  last  Good  Friday  ?  If  not,  it 
is  not  too  late.  Do  it  now^  and  you  will  be  able, 
after  the  experience  of  His  pardoning  words  in 
Absolution,  to  say,  "  The  Lord  is  risen  indeed, 
and  hath  appeared  to  me,  to  bid  me,  to  encourage 
me,  to  help  me — to  rise  with  Him." 


A  ^^^ 

X. 

THE  JOURNEY  TO  EMMAUS. 

"  AND  THKY  SAID  ONE  TO  ANOTHER,  DID  NOT 
OUR  HEART  BURN  WITHIN  US,  WHII.E  HE 
TAI^KED  WITH  US  BY  THE  WAY,  AND  WHII,E 
HE     OPENED     TO     US     THE     SCRIPTURES?" 

6*..  Luke  XXIV. ,  32. 

THERE  are  three  ways  by  which  man  ap- 
proaches God, — three  processes  by  which, 
speaking  generally,  individuals  are  led  to 
accept  Christ  as  their  Lord  and  their  God. 
They  are  drawn  by  the  cords  of  love,  driven  by  the 
burden  of  sin,  or  determined  by  the  force  of  reason. 
Love,  penitence,  thought.  The  heart,  the  con- 
science, the  mind.  By  one  of  these  avenues  each 
man  approaches  God. 

And  so  on  Easter  Day  there  are  recorded  three 
appearances  of  our  Lord  to  individuals,  which  in 
each  case  produced  absolute  conviction  in  regard 
to  both  His  Resurrection  and  His  Godhead.  S. 
Mary  Magdalene,  a  loving  woman,  represents  the 

160 


TJie  Journey  to  Evimaiis.  i6i 

first ;  S.  Peter,  a  penitent  sinner,  the  second  ;  and 
the  two  Disciples  on  their  way  to  Emmaus, 
thoughtful  men,  represent  the  third. 

In  the  first  two  cases  we  know  a  great  deal  con- 
cerning the  character  of  those  to  whom  our  Lord 
appeared,  for  there  is  something  intensely  personal 
both  in  love  and  in  penitence.  But  since  thought, 
on  the  other  hand,  is  in  a  certain  sense  imper- 
sonal, there  is  an  appropriateness  in  the  fact  that 
we  know  nothing  of  the  individuals  in  the  third 
case,  except  that  they  were  Disciples  of  Christ, 
and  that  the  name  of  one  of  them  was  Cleopas. 

I.  These  two  were  Disciples  of  Christ,  not 
Apostles  ;  and  therefore  they  probably  had  not 
heard  the  wonderful  discourses  which  our  Lord 
spoke  on  the  last  night  of  His  earthly  life,  when, 
apparently,  only  the  Apostles  were  present  ;  and 
therefore  they  probably  knew  nothing  of  the  in- 
stitution of  the  Holy  Eucharist, — unless,  indeed, 
they  had  been  told  of  it  by  the  Apostles. 

This,  however,  is  scarcely  likely  to  have  been 
the  case  when  we  remember  that  the  Apostles 
were  dispersed  on  Maundy  Thursday  night  when 
our  Lord  was  seized,  that  Good  Friday  had  been 
a  day  of  great  terror,  and  that  Saturday  was  the 
Jewish  Sabbath.  While  it  is  of  course  possible 
that  from  some  one  of  the  Twelve  they  had  heard 
something  of  the  Eucharist,  it  is  more  probable 
that  they  knew  nothing  of  it,  excepting,  perhaps, 


1 62  Eastertide  Addresses.  * 

so  far  as  our  Lord  had  pointed  to  it  in  His  pre- 
vious teachings. 

The  attitude  of  the  two  Disciples  as  believers 
in  our  Lord  was  not,  at  this  particular  period, 
unfavourable,  although  they  were  evidently 
deeply  disappointed.  They  were  not  prejudiced 
against  His  Messiahship,  but  they  demanded 
evidence  which  they  did  not  think  was  forth- 
coming. 

As  thoughtful,  hard-headed  men,  they  con- 
sidered that  the  report  of  the  women,  who  said 
they  had  seen  a  vision  of  Angels,  was  insufficient  ; 
and  that  to  found  upon  such  evidence  our  Lord's 
Resurrection  was  to  build  upon  it  a  greater  super- 
structure than  the  foundation  could  sustain. 

With  great  simplicity  they  expressed  their  own 
faith,  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  "  a  Prophet 
mighty  in  deed  and  word  before  God  and  all  the 
people."  That  He  had  been  crucified  was  to 
them  a  matter  not  of  faith,  but  of  common  know- 
ledge. His  teaching  had  aroused  in  them  hope 
"  that  it  had  been  He  Which  should  have  re- 
deemed Israel,"  that  is,  the}^  had  trusted  that  our 
Lord  was  the  promised  Messiah.  But  in  their 
account  of  themselves  there  is  no  trace  of  any 
belief  in  His  Godhead. 

In  their  religious  position  they  represent  a  con- 
siderable number  of  people  whom  we  meet  to-day, 
who  are  not  only  not  unfavourable  to  religion, 


TJie  JoiLTuey  to  Emmaus.  163 

but  are  deeply  interested  in  it  ;  and  who,  having 
examined  the  evidences  of  Christianit}',  as  they 
think,  dispassionately,  have  reached  very  much 
the  same  conclusion  about  our  IvORD  as  had  been 
reached  by  these  two  Disciples. 

The}^  are  quite  prepared  to  admit  that  JKSUS  of 
Nazareth  was  a  Prophet  mighty  in  deed  and  word 
before  God  and  all  the  people,  that  is,  that  He  was 
a  great  religious  teacher.  But  they  believe  only 
that  He  was  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  supposed  son 
of  Joseph,  and  perhaps  that  He  was  the  roj^al  heir 
of  David,  but  not  that  He  was  the  Son  of  God. 

They  are  prepared  also  to  accept  the  historical 
facts  of  His  Death,  and  to  express  their  sense  of 
disappointment  that  a  life  so  beautiful  and  so  full 
of  promise  should  have  ended  so  sadlj^,  and  that 
He  should  have  failed  to  deliver  the  people  for 
whom  He  sacrificed  so  much.  Theirs  is  the 
humanitarian  view  concerning  our  Blessed  Lord, 
which  is  so  popular  in  the  present  day.  Ecce 
Homo  is  the  cr}^  not  Ecce  Deus. 

II.  But  the  main  interest  in  the  story  lies  not  so 
much  in  its  striking  likeness  to  the  religious  atti- 
tude of  many  in  our  own  day,  as  in  the  fact  that 
it  reveals  to  us  our  Lord's  way  of  dealing  with 
such  habits  of  mind, — the  method  which  He  used 
in  removing  difficulties,  and  bringing  such  char- 
acters to  recognise  Him  as  their  God. 

His  method  was  a  very  simple  one.     He  joined 


164  Eastertide  Addresses. 

Himself  to  them  and  accompanied  them  in  their 
journey,  without  allowing  them  to  recognise  Him. 
As  an  unknown  but  most  interesting  stranger  He 
entered  into  conversation  with  them,  leading  them 
by  skilful  questions  to  give  expression  to  their 
difficulties. 

Then,  by  using  only  such  evidence  as  they  were 
prepared  to  admit,  He  gradually  led  them  to  the 
inevitable  conclusion  that  Jesus  was  the  Messiah, 
and  that  the  report  of  the  women  was  true. 
When  He  had  thus  aroused  their  hope  and  quick- 
ened their  faith.  He  manifested  Himself  to  them, 
and  they  recognised  Him  as  He  vanished  out  of 
their  sight. 

That  country  walk  with  Jesus,  how  wonderful 
it  was  !  They  had  been  talking  of  Him  in  the 
sacred  intercourse  of  friendship  before  He  joined 
Himself  to  them.  As  friends  with  a  common  inter- 
est, with  a  common  sorrow,  they  were  discussing 
the  events  which  had  just  taken  place  at  Jerusa- 
lem, speaking  of  the  bright  hopes  of  past  days, 
perhaps  also  of  the  wondrous  teachings  they  had 
heard  from  His  Lips,  as  well  as  of  the  sad  cata- 
strophe which  had  destroyed  their  hopes  and 
shaken  their  faith  in  Him. 

And  Jesus,  all  the  time  unknown,  was  with 
them,  guiding  them  in  their  conversation,  open- 
ing their  understanding,  expounding  to  them  the 
Scriptures  in  a  light  which  they  had  never  seen 


The  Journey  to  Ernmaiis.  165 

before, — but  which  they  felt  to  be  the  true  light, 
— and  causing  their  hearts  to  burn  within  them 
with  holy  love  ;  and,  while  still  unrecognised, 
leading  them  to  the  conclusion  that  they  had  not 
trusted  in  Him  in  vain  ;  and  then  crowning  His 
work  by  an  act  of  blessing,  which  revealed  Him 
as  the  Master  Whom  the}^  thought  they  had  lost, 
— their  Lord  and  their  God. 

III.  May  we  not  in  passing  gather  up  two  im- 
portant lessons  here  ?  One  is,  the  helpfulness  of 
that  true  sympathy  where  men  in  the  sacred  inter- 
course of  friendship  reveal  to  one  another  the 
hopes  and  fears,  the  difficulties  and  sorrows  of 
their  souls'  life.  The  other  is,  the  importance, 
in  dealing  with  those  who  do  not  fully  accept 
our  position,  of  not  grounding  our  arguments  on 
any  premises  which  are  not  fully  admitted  by 
those  whom  we  are  striving  to  convince. 

Our  Lord  confines  Himself  entirely  to  proving 
from  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures,  which  the 
two  Disciples  fully  believed,  the  doctrines  at 
which  they  stumbled.  That  is.  He  led  them 
slowly,  step  by  step,  as  they  were  able  to  follow, 
making  no  demands  upon  them  which  required 
greater  faith  than  they  possessed. 

When  they  reached  Emmaus  the  day  was 
drawing  to  a  close.  They  constrained  Him  to 
abide  with  them.  In  the  "  breaking  of  bread  " 
— not  the  Holy  Eucharist,  but  the  common  even- 


1 66  Eastertide  Addresses. 

ing  meal — they  recognised  Him,  and  He  vanished 
out  of  their  sight. 

That  walk  to  Kmmaus  was  a  type  of  many  a 
life's  journe}^  in  this  world,  beginning  in  sadness 
and  doubt  and  difficulty,  but  ending  in  the  joy  of 
assured  faith.  How  many  of  those  who  have 
come  to  know  Christ  as  their  Master  and  Lord, 
are  able  to  see,  when  they  look  back  on  their  life, 
how  gradually  their  understanding  was  opened 
to  know  Him,  how  gradually  their  hearts  were 
kindled  to  love  Him,  their  prejudices  and  their 
difficulties,  their  blindness  and  mistakes  one  after 
another  w^ere  removed  ! 

At  the  time  they  hardly  knew  how  it  came  to 
pass  ;  but  as  the}^  look  back  upon  the  journey 
when  its  end  has  been  reached,  the}^  see  that  it  was 
our  lyORD  Himself  Who  was  with  them  always  to 
draw  them  on  ;  leading  them  to  express  their 
difficulties  that  He  might  answer  them  ;  lighten- 
ing their  e3^es  that  they  might  not  sleep  in  death  ; 
leading  them,  by  many  a  path  of  perplexity,  at 
last  unto  the  glorious  light  of  perfect  faith.  They 
can  say,  as  did  these  two  Disciples,  * '  Did  not  our 
heart  burn  within  us  while  He  talked  with  us  by 
the  way  ?  We  did  not  know  Him,  but  He  was 
with  us  all  the  time." 

IV.  Of  the  many  lessons  which  this  story  teaches 
us,  let  us  take  two.  First,  we  learn  from  the  ex- 
ample of  our  Lord  Himself  to  be  very  patient 


TJie  Journey  to  Einmaus.  167 

with  those  who  are  slow  to  accept  the  Faith, — 
with  those  who  require  time  and  what  seems  to 
us  more  than  abundant  proof. 

Our  lyORD  teaches  us  to  be  very  patient  with 
those  men  of  thought  who  are  uninfluenced,  ex- 
cept to  a  very  small  extent,  by  emotion,  and  who 
are  free  from  the  necessity  created  b}^  great  sin  ; 
men  who  are  slowly  but  conscientiously  groping 
their  way  towards  the  Light  ;  men  who  are  worth 
all  the  trouble  one  has  to  take  with  them,  for 
(when  they  are  convinced)  the  very  gradual 
growth  of  their  conviction  seems  to  ensure  its 
continuance. 

The  other  lesson  is  for  anyone  who  may  be  thus 
seeking  the  truth,  and  who,  perhaps,  is  disap- 
pointed with  his  own  life,  and  3^et  is  unable  to 
give  himself  wholly  to  Christ.  If  we  are  in  this 
class,  surely  we  learn  from  the  two  Disciples  to 
persevere  in  our  investigations  ;  to  strive  with 
open  mind  to  search  the  Scriptures  and  the  other 
evidences  of  Christianity  ;  to  refuse  to  go  any 
farther  along  the  road  of  faith  than  we  can  hon- 
estly see  our  way ;  and  to  retain  with  us  all  helps, 
such  as  come  to  us  through  friends,  or  through 
reading,  or  attendance  at  the  Services  of  the 
Church, — even  if  we  still  fall  short  of  absolute 
conviction. 

How  blessed  will  it  be  if  only  we  recognise  our 
Lord  and  abide  with  Him  !  even  though  it  be 


1 68  Eastertide  Addresses. 

not  till  the  eventide  of  life.  How  much  more 
blessed  if  we  know  Him  in  our  youth  and  He  be- 
comes the  Companion  of  our  journey  through 
life, — if  it  can  be  said  of  us,  as  of  Blisha  and  his 
master  in  each  stage  of  their  last  journey  together, 
"  And  they  two  went  on  "  : — on,  through  all  life's 
difficulties,  until  they  who  have  been  guided  by 
our  Lord  through  all  the  days  of  this  life,  * '  fol- 
low the  Lamb  whithersoever  He  goeth  ' '  through 
all  the  days  of  eternity  ! 


¥ 


ft 


XI. 

PEACE  THE  FRUIT  OF  THE  RESUR- 
RECTION. 

"  THEN  THE  SAME  DAY  AT  EVENING,  BEING  THE 
FIRST  DAY  OF  THE  WEEK,  WHEN  THE  DOORS 
WERE  SHUT  WHERE  THE  DISCIPLES  WERE 
ASSEMBI^ED  FOR  FEAR  OF  THE  JEWS,  CAME 
JESUS  AND  STOOD  IN  THE  MIDST,  AND  SAITH 
UNTO  THEM,  PEACE  BE  UNTO  YOU.  AND 
WHEN  HE  HAD  SO  SAID,  HE  SHEWED  UNTO 
THEM  HIS  HANDS  AND  HIS  SIDE.  THEN 
WERE  THE  DISCIPLES  GLAD,  WHEN  THEY 
SAW  THE  LORD."      6*.  /okn  XX.,  ig,  20. 

OUR  lyORD  on  Easter  Day  first  satisfies  the 
needs  of  representative  individuals.  But 
Christ's  Religion  is  not  for  man  merely 
as  an  individual,  it  is  also  for  man  as  a  race,  for 
society  ;  and  though  the  Church  of  Christ  is 
made  up  of  individual  members,  it  is  itself  the 
aggregate  of  those  members. 
And  so  before  Easter  Day  has  passed  away  our 

169 


I/O  Eastertide  Addresses. 

I^ORD  appears  to  the  reprevSentatives  of  His  Church 
when  they  were  assembled,  as  we  are  told,  with 
the  doors  shut  for  fear  of  the  Jews.  He  came  and 
stood  in  the  midst  of  them,  '*  and  saith  unto 
them,  Peace  be  unto  you." 

I.  This  was  His  first  greeting  to  His  Church 
after  His  Resurrection.  This  was  His  gift  to  His 
people, — peace.  And  yet  "  Peace  be  unto  you" 
does  not  seem  to  have  been  His  mode  of  greeting 
His  Disciples  before  His  Resurrection. 

For  though  in  His  discourse  after  the  Last 
Supper  He  said,  ''  Peace  I  leave  with  you.  My 
peace  I  give  unto  you, ' '  yet  He  was  then  speak- 
ing in  anticipation  of  the  Sacrifice  which  was  just 
about  to  be  ofiered,  and  of  the  battle  which  was 
just  about  to  be  fought  and  won.  Indeed  He 
had  said,  "  Think  not  that  I  am  come  to  send 
peace  on  earth  :  I  came  not  to  send  peace,  but  a 
sword"  (S.  Matt,  x.,  34). 

i.  This  seems  paradoxical,  but  it  directs  our  at- 
tention to  a  great  truth — that  "  peace  "  is  a  word 
which  connotes  its  opposite.  For  we  cannot 
think  of  peace  apart  from  war  ;  and  so  far  as  we 
know  by  experience  peace  is  always  the  result  of 
war.  Thus  our  I^ord  says,  ' '  I  came  not  to  send 
peace,  but  a  sword."  There  must  be  a  struggle 
first,  the  battle  must  be  fought,  and  the  victory 
won,  before  there  can  be  peace. 

So  it  was  on  Calvary,  when  all  the  powers  of 


Peace  the  Fruit  of  the  Resurrection.      171 

evil  hurled  their  forces  against  our  I^ord  upon 
the  Cross  ;  Nature  shuddered,  and  the  Sun  hid 
his  face  ;  there  was  darkne.ss,  and  an  earthquake, 
as  that  battle  between  the  hosts  of  evil  and  the 
Captain  of  our  salvation  reached  its  climax.  The 
powers  of  hell  had  done  their  worst ;  they  seemed 
to  have  triumphed  as  our  Lord  bowed  His  Head 
upon  the  Cross  and  gave  up  the  ghost ;  but  it  was 
only  a  seeming  victor}',  the  real  triumph  was  with 
Christ.  And  on  Easter  Day,  rising  from  the 
dead,  He  bestowed  upon  His  Church  the  gift 
which  He  had  won  in  the  long  conflict, — the  gift 
of  peace,  the  conditions  of  which  are  contained  in 
the  Gospel  of  Redemption. 

This  is  not  only  true  of  the  past,  and  of  our 
Lord's  conflict  and  victory ;  it  is  ever  true  of  our- 
selves. We  cannot  enjoy  an}^  real  peace  except 
as  the  result  of  war,  of  struggle,  of  victory. 

ii.  And  even  when  peace  has  thus  been  won,  it 
needs  continual  preparation  for  war  in  order  to 
prCvServe  it  ;  just  as  we  see  in  the  present  day  the 
nations  of  Europe  groaning  under  the  burden  of 
taxation,  and  that  taxation  needed  to  keep  up 
large  standing  armies, — not  because  any  nation 
desires  w^ar,  but  because  all  realize  that  in  order 
to  avoid  war  and  preserve  peace  it  is  necessary 
to  be  always  prepared  for  war. 

This  is  a  good  Easter  lesson.  If  by  our  Lenten 
penitence  we  have  won  some  victories, and  through 


172  Eastertide  Addresses. 

our  Absolution  and  Communion  are  entering  into 
the  joys  of  Baster  peace,  we  must  remember  how 
needful  it  is  to  be  always  ready  for  the  battle,  for 
temptation  may  assault  us  at  any  time.  How 
dangerous  to  rest  on  our  laurels  !  How  wise  to 
expect  further  struggles  and  to  be  always  ready 
for  them  ! 

II.  When  our  Lord  has  bestowed  upon  His 
people,  as  the  first-fruits  of  the  Resurrection,  the 
gift  of  peace.  He  goes  on  to  show  them  His  Hands 
and  His  Side.  ' '  Then  were  the  Disciples  glad, 
when  they  saw  the  Lord." 

Here  our  Lord,  having  appeared  to  different 
individuals,  offers  to  His  Church  a  proof  not  only 
of  His  Resurrection,  but  of  the  identity  of  His 
Resurrection  Body  with  that  which  suffered  on 
the  Cross.  It  is  especially  needful  to  notice  this 
in  an  age  when  the  most  inadequate  views  of  our 
Blessed  Lord's  Resurrection,  and  of  our  own, 
find  acceptance  in  many  minds. 

There  are  many  who  ofier  to  believe  in  a  resur- 
rection of  the  soul,  but  stumble  at  the  resurrection 
of  the  body.  And  yet  we  say  in  the  Creed,  "  I 
believe  in  the  resurrection  of  the  body  ' ' ;  and  the 
Gospel  tells  us  that  our  Lord,  in  His  first  appear- 
ance to  His  assembled  Church,  directed  their  at- 
tention to  the  wounds  in  His  Hands  and  His  Side, 
which  were  the  evidences  that  His  Body  had 
risen,  and  that  His  risen  Body  was  identical  with 


Peace  the  Fruit  of  the  Resurrection.      173 

the  Body  which  had  suffered  on  Calvary.  Yes  ; 
it  was  identical,  but  under  different  conditions  ;  for 
those  scars  were  no  longer  the  ghastly,  gaping 
wounds  of  Calvary  ;  they  shone,  we  may  well 
believe,  with  glorious  light,  each  of  them  as  it 
were  a  centre  and  source  of  radiant  splendour. 

"  Then  were  the  Disciples  glad,  when  they  saw 
the  Lord."  And  yet  their  first  meeting  with 
Him  might  have  filled  them  with  fear  and  shame, 
for  one  had  denied,  and  all  had  deserted  Him  in 
His  hour  of  trial.  Perhaps  they  felt  this  before 
they  saw  Him,  but  when  they  saw  Him  they  were 
glad  ; — glad  at  the  glory  and  beauty  which  He 
manifested  in  Himself ; — glad  at  the  message  of 
peace,  and  therefore  of  forgiveness,  conveyed  to 
them  by  the  first  words  He  uttered. 

A  story  is  told  of  a  reckless  son,  who  had  broken 
his  mother's  heart  by  his  dissipation  and  neglect 
of  her  ;  he  had  been  guilty  even  of  cruelty,  for  at 
their  last  meeting,  when  she  gently  tried  to  reason 
with  him,  and  to  bring  him  to  a  consciousness  of 
the  evil  of  his  life,  he  had  roughl}^  pushed  her 
from  him,  and  she  had  fallen  and  hurt  herself 
Partly  in  shame,  partly  in  anger,  he  had  left  the 
house,  and  had  never  seen  her  again.  And  now 
he  was  on  his  way  home,  summoned  by  a  tele- 
gram which  told  him  that  his  mother  was  dead. 
It  was  agony  to  him,  as  he  thought  of  that  dear 
face,  marked  with  the  wrinkles  and  lines  of  care, 


174  Eastertide  Addresses. 

which  were  all  the  result  of  his  misconduct.  How 
could  he  meet  her  cold  in  death  ?  How  could  he 
look  upon  the  traces  of  sorrow  on  her  brow  ? 
And  yet,  he  must  !  He  reached  home.  Trem- 
bling he  entered  the  room  where  her  body  lay, 
knelt  down  by  the  coffin,  and  looked  upon  her 
face.  How  changed  it  was  !  The  wrinkles  were 
gone  ;  the  face  was  calm  and  peaceful.  Yes,  her 
conflict  was  over,  her  victory  was  won.  The 
vision  she  had  gazed  on  was  not  the  vision  of  the 
sad  past,  but  of  the  glorious  future  ;  and  it  had 
left  its  impress,  as  it  were,  upon  the  features  of 
the  dead. 

So  it  will  be  with  us.  We  may  fear  to  meet 
Him  when  we  think  how  we  have  wounded  Him, 
and  how  we  shall  have  to  look  upon  Him  Whom 
we  have  pierced  b}^  our  sins,  and  wounded  by  our 
ingratitude  and  neglect.  And  yet,  like  the 
Apostles,  if  we  are  at  the  moment  of  the  Particu- 
lar Judgment  in  a  state  of  grace,  we  shall  be  glad 
when  we  have  seen  the  Lord,  for  we  shall  see  the 
King  in  all  His  beauty,  and  the  very  marks  of 
His  love  for  us — the  glorified  wounds — will  only 
add  to  that  beauty. 

There  is  in  one  of  our  churches  an  altar  frontal 
of  cloth  of  gold,  and  in  the  centre  in  rich  em- 
broidery and  jewels  our  Lord  in  glory  is  repre- 
sented, clad  in  Eucharistic  Vestments  and  with 
jewelled  crown.      He  stands  with  outstretched 


Peace  the  Fruit  of  the  Resurrection.       175 

arms,  and  the  wounds  in  His  Hands  and  Feet 
are  indicated  b}^  diamonds  which  may  be  seen  far 
down  the  church  as  they  flash  in  the  light.  It  is 
a  true  conception,  and  teaches  the  Easter  lesson 
of  our  Lord's  glorified  Body  with  the  wounds 
streaming  with  light  and  attracting,  instead  of 
^repelling,  those  who  behold  Him. 


XII. 
THE  APOSTOI.IC  COMMISSION. 

"thkn  said  jksus  to  thkm  again,  peace  be 
unto  you  :  as  my  father  hath  sent  me, 
even  so  send  i  you.  and  when  he  had 
said  this,  he  breathed  on  them,  and 
saith  unto  them,  receive  ye  the  hoi.y 
ghost  :  whose  soever  sins  ye  remit, 
they  are  remitted  unto  them  ;  and 
whose  soever  sins  ye  retain,  they  are 
RETAINED. ' '     S.  John  XX. ,  21-2^. 

THE  Church  of  Christ  needs  not  only  the 
gift  of  peace,  but  the  means  of  preserving 
that  peace  amid  all  the  world's  strifes. 
And  so  our  Blessed  Lord  on  Easter  Day,  after 
having  given  the  representatives  of  His  Church 
the  blessing  of  peace,  went  on  to  impart  to  them 
those  special  gifts  by  which  His  work  is  to  be  con- 
tinued to  the  end  of  the  world. 

He  said  to  them  again,  "  Peace  be  unto  you." 
For  throughout  the  Church's  earthly  warfare  she 

176 


The  Apostolic  Commission,  lyy 

was  to  keep  before  her  eyes  the  peace  of  God 
which  shall  be  realized  in  its  fulness  by  those  of 
her  members  who,  having  been  purified  from  all 
sin,  shall  have  passed  into  the  Beatific  Vision  ; 
that  peace  of  God  which  in  a  lesser  degree  is  not 
unknown  even  to  those  who  are  still  on  the 
battle-field  of  life. 

I.  "As  My  Father  hath  sent  Me,  even  so  send 
I  you."  That  is,  Christ  sent  His  Apostles  for 
the  same  work ;  to  be  messengers  of  peace  through 
remission  of  sin,  and  to  be  witnesses  of  truth  ;  for 
both  functions  necessarily  belong  to  those  who 
are  the  commissioned  representatives  of  Christ. 

' '  As  My  Father  hath  sent  Me,  even  so  send 
I  you. ' '  In  the  original  there  is  a  difference  in  the 
*  *  sending  ' '  which  is  lost  in  the  English  transla- 
tion, for  the  verbs  *  *  to  send  ' '  are  not  the  same. 
The  first  {aTtoffTeXXco)  signifies  a  sending  forth 
from  ;  the  second  (Tri/uTtcj)  implies  a  personal  re- 
lation between  those  sent  and  the  sender,  which  is 
expressed  in  S.  Matthew  (xxviii.,  19,  20)  by  the 
words  ''''Go ye  .  .  .  lo,  / a7n  with  you  alway, 
even  unto  the  end  of  the  world." 

Having  revealed  to  them  the  nature  of  their 
commission,  that  they  were  to  continue  the  work 
in  the  world  which  the  Father  had  sent  Him  to 
begin  (Acts,  i.,  i),  our  Blessed  Lord  went  on  to 
bestow  upon  them  the  powers  by  which  they 
were  to  do  that  work.     '  *  He  breathed  on  them, 


1/8  Eastertide  Addresses. 

and  saith  unto  them,  Receive  ye  the  Hoi,y 
Ghost  :  whose  soever  sins  ye  remit,  they  are  re- 
mitted unto  them  ;  and  whose  soever  sins  ye 
retain,  they  are  retained." 

**  He  breathed  on  them."  The  word  {iv£cpv(j- 
Tjffs)  used  here  by  our  Blessed  I^ord  is  the  same 
as  that  which  in  the  Greek  Version  of  the  Old 
Testament  expresses  the  act  of  God  in  the  original 
infusion  of  the  Spirit  of  I^ife  into  man  (Gen.  ii., 
7).  This  act  is  now  repeated  sacramentally  by 
God  Incarnate  ;  it  represented  the  gift  to  His 
Church  of  that  new  life  of  which  He,  through 
His  glorified  humanity,  had  become  the  Source. 

We  have  here  the  Ordination  of  the  first  Minis- 
ters of  Christ's  Church,  and  the  potential  be- 
stowal upon  them  of  those  spiritual  gifts  of  the 
Priesthood  which  became  operative  after  the  de- 
scent of  the  HoivY  Ghost  at  Pentecost. 

II.  We  must  not  confine  to  this  one  passage  the 
bestowal  of  all  the  gifts  of  the  Priesthood,  since  at 
the  institution  of  the  Holy  Eucharist  our  Blessed 
I^ORD  seems  to  have  given  potentially  the  author- 
ity to  ofier  the  Holy  Sacrifice,  when  He  said  to 
His  Apostles,  ' '  Do  this  in  remembrance  of  Me. ' ' 

And  we  may  with  all  reverence  attempt  to 
explain  the  reason  for  this  division  of  the  two 
great  functions  of  the  Priesthood.  It  was  fitting 
that  at  the  very  institution  of  the  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment of  the  Altar  the  power  should  be  given  for 


TJie  Apostolic  Commission.  179 

its  continuation  ;  but  the  power  to  remit  sins 
could  not  in  the  same  way  be  given  until  by  the 
Sacrifice  of  the  Cross  the  victory  had  been  won 
and  sin  atoned  for. 

Hence  the  separation  of  these  two  functions  of 
the  Priesthood.  Probably  neither  of  them  was 
exercised  by  the  Apostles  until  after  the  Descent 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  at  Pentecost,  since  He  is  the 
Agent  in  all  the  Sacraments. 

III.  Here  we  may  well  pause  to  notice  an  objec- 
tion which  is  sometimes  made  to  the  interpreta- 
tion of  this  passage  (as  the  Church  always  has 
interpreted  it)  of  the  gifts  of  the  Priesthood.  The 
objection  "  is  that  the  words  were  not  addressed  to 
all  the  Apostles,  nor  to  the  Apostles  alone,  since 
Thomas  was  absent,  and  S.  Luke  tells  us  that 
there  were  others  assembled  with  the  Apostles  ; 
and  further,  that  there  is  no  provision  laid  down 
for  the  transmission  of  the  gift,  as  the  Church 
teaches  in  her  doctrine  of  Apostolical  Succession. ' ' 

We  ma}^  obser\^e  at  the  outset  two  things  :  first, 
that  the  objection  is  entirely  modern  and  contra- 
dicts the  whole  Tradition  of  the  Church  ;  and 
secondly,  that  it  does  not  flow  naturall}^  from  the 
passage,  but  is,  so  to  speak,  invented  in  order  to 
avoid  the  acceptance  of  the  Church's  doctrine  of 
the  Priesthood  with  its  powers  of  Absolution. 

It  is  the  objection  of  those  only  w^ho  do  not  be- 
lieve in  the  power  of  Absolution  committed  to  the 


l8o  Eastertide  Addresses. 

Priesthood  of  the  Church,  and  who  strive  to  empty 
of  its  plain  meaning  the  passage  which  so  em- 
phatically asserts  this  power, — without  being  able 
to  offer  any  other  interpretation  which  does  not 
do  violence  to  the  text. 

With  these  two  preliminary  observations,  let  us 
see  how  little  ground  there  is  for  the  objection. 

i.  The  first  part  of  the  objection  is,  "  that  the 
words  were  not  addressed  to  all  the  Apostles,  nor 
to  the  Apostles  alone,  since  Thomas  was  absent, 
and  S.  lyuke  tells  us  that  there  w^ere  others  as- 
sembled with  the  Apostles ' '  ;  and  so  these  others, 
it  is  contended,  shared  whatever  authority  to  re- 
mit sins  was  given  by  the  words. 

But  this  is  a  purely  gratuitous  assumption,  and 
not  borne  out  by  certain  facts  which  are  recorded 
in  other  passages  of  the  New  Testament.  As  for 
\h^  presence  of  others  ^x'Cix  the  Apostles,  there  are 
always  present  at  an  Ordination  others  besides 
those  who  are  ordained  ;  and  it  would  seem  ex- 
tremely fitting  that  there  should  have  been  wit- 
nesses of  the  Ordination  of  the  Apostles,  since 
their  testimony  might  have  been  necessary  as  an 
evidence  of  so  important  an  act. 

Moreover,  if  the  others  who  were  present  did 
receive  this  authority,  we  should  expect  to  find 
them  exercising  it  ;  whereas  nothing  can  be  more 
clear  than  that  after  Pentecost  the  Apostles,  and 
the    Apostles    alone,    exercised    these    spiritual 


The  Apostolic  Commission.  i8i 

powers,  until  they  committed  tliem  to  others  by 
a  distinct  act  of  Ordination. 

It  was  so,  for  example,  in  the  case  of  the  Dea- 
cons ;  although  their  Ministry  was  so  humble,  the 
Apostles,  "  when  they  had  prayed,  laid  their 
hands  on  them"  (Acts  vi.,  6),  that  is,  ordained 
them.  And  in  the  eighth  chapter  of  the  Acts  it  is 
distinctly  implied  that  S.  Philip,  one  of  the  Dea- 
cons, had  not  Apostolic  powers  ;  since,  while  he 
was  able  to  baptize  the  people  of  Samaria,  he  was 
not  able  to  lay  his  hands  on  them,  that  they  might 
receive  the  H01.Y  Ghost,  that  is,  to  confirm  them. 

It  must  also  be  remembered  that  S.  Luke  and 
S.  John  regard  the  circumstance  from  dijBferent 
points  of  view. 

S.  Luke,  in  his  account  of  this  appearance  of 
our  Lord,  dwells  only  upon  the  first  part  of  what 
S.  John  records,  that  our  Lord  gave  them  proofs, 
both  of  the  fact  of  His  Resurrection  and  of  the 
identity  of  His  risen  Body  with  the  Body  which 
had  died  upon  the  Cross.  And  as  this  evidence 
was  needed,  not  only  by  the  Apostles,  but  by  all 
the  Church,  he  mentions  that  there  were  others 
present  besides  the  Apostles. 

S.  John,  on  the  other  hand,  dwelling  chiefly  on 
the  Ordination  of  the  Apostles,  makes  no  mention 
whatever  of  the  presence  of  anyone  else.  How 
extremely  natural  this  is  !  If  anyone  were  de- 
scribing an  Ordination,  he  would  probably  con- 


1 82  Eastertide  Addresses, 

fine  his  description  to  tliose  who  were  ordained, 
and  not  go  out  of  his  way  to  speak  of  the  people 
who  were  in  church  witnessing  the  Ordina- 
tion. 

Moreover,  S.  John  says  it  was  "  the  Disciples  " 
{oi  fxa^r/rai')  to  whom  our  Blessed  Lord  gave 
these  spiritual  powers  (of  the  kej^s)  ;  and  this  ex- 
pression is  not  used  by  S.  John  (in  direct  narra- 
tion) of  any  but  the  Apostles. 

ii.  The  second  part  of  the  objection  is  just  as 
unreasonable.  It  is  '  *  that  there  is  no  provision 
laid  down  for  the  transmission  of  the  gift,  as  the 
Church  teaches  in  her  doctrine  of  Apostolical 
Succession." 

It  is  quite  true  that  there  is  no  provision  laid 
down  in  these  four  verses.  But  the  answer  to  the 
objection  is  that  immediately  after  Pentecost  we 
find  the  Apostles  using  these  powers  and  trans- 
mitting them  to  others  ;  and  they  certainly 
would  not  have  done  this  if  they  had  not  been 
empowered  and  instructed  to  do  so. 

We  are  told  (in  Acts  i.,  3)  that  our  Lord  was 
seen  of  the  Apostles  forty  days,  and  spoke  to 
them  "  of  the  things  pertaining  to  the  Kingdom 
of  God."  Surely  it  is  perfectly  reasonable  to 
conclude  that  during  this  time  our  Lord  in- 
structed the  Apostles  in  regard  to  the  perpetua- 
tion of  their  gifts.  And  this  view  is  confirmed 
by  the  action  of  the  Apostolic  College  in  choos- 


The  Apostolic  Coniniission.  183 

ing  and  consecrating  a  successor  in  the  place  of 
Judas. 

The  transmission  of  these  powers  by  Ordina- 
tion, of  which  we  read  in  the  Acts,  is  too  near  the 
time  of  their  bestowal  for  any  corruptioji  to  have 
arisen  in  the  interval. 

Moreover,  we  find  that  the  whole  Church  of 
Christ  has  always  understood  the  words  of  the 
text  as  referring  to  the  sacerdotal  powers  of  the 
Christian  Ministry,  and  that  it  has  been  left  for 
those  who  disbelieve  the  Church's  teaching  re- 
garding the  Priesthood  to  invent  in  modern  times 
the  theory  which  we  have  just  been  considering, 
and  which  we  have  shown  to  be  entirely  without 
foundation. 


XIII. 
S.  THOMAS. 

BUT  THOMAS,  ONK  OF  THK  TWKLVB,  CALI^KD 
DIDYMUS,  WAS  NOT  WITH  THEM  WHEN  JKSUS 
CAME.  THE  OTHER  DISCIPLES  THEREFORE 
SAID  UNTO  HIM,  WE  HAVE  SEEN  THE  I<ORD. 
BUT  HE  SAID  UNTO  THEM,  EXCEPT  I  SHAI^I, 
SEE  IN  HIS  HANDS  THE  PRINT  OF  THE  NAILS, 
AND  PUT  MY  FINGER  INTO  THE  PRINT  OF 
THE  NAILS,  AND  THRUST  MY  HAND  INTO  HIS 
SIDE,  I  WILL  NOT  BELIEVE.  AND  AFTER 
EIGHT  DAYS  AGAIN  HIS  DISCIPLES  WERE 
WITHIN,  AND  THOMAS  WITH  THEM  :  THEN 
CAME  JESUS,  THE  DOORS  BEING  SHUT,  AND 
STOOD  IN  THE  MIDST,  AND  SAID,  PEACE  BE 
UNTO  YOU.  THEN  SAITH  HE  TO  THOMAS, 
REACH  HITHER  THY  FINGER,  AND  BEHOLD 
MY  HANDS  ;  AND  REACH  HITHER  THY  HAND, 
AND  THRUST  IT  INTO  MY  SIDE  :  AND  BE  NOT 
FAITHLESS,  BUT  BELIEVING.  AND  THOMAS 
ANSWERED  AND  SAID  UNTO  HIM,  MY  LORD 
AND  MY  GOD.  JESUS  SAlTH  UNTO  HIM, 
THOMAS,  BECAUSE  THOU  HAST  SEEN  ME, 
184 


S.   Thomas.  185 

THOU  HAST  BEI.IKVED  :  BI.KSSED  ARE  THEY 
THAT  HAVE  NOT  SEEN,  AND  YET  HAVE  BE- 
LIEVED. ' '      ►$".  John  XX. ,  2^-so. 

IT  lias  been  obsen^ed  by  a  thoughtful  and 
helpful  writer  on  our  Blessed  lyORD's  Resur- 
rection, that  while  the  accounts  of  the  Resur- 
rection are  incomplete  as  a  history,  so  that  it  is 
extremely  difficult,  perhaps  even  impossible,  to 
piece  them  together  in  such  a  way  as  to  obtain  an 
entirely  coherent  and  consecutive  account  of  all 
that  happened  on  Easter  Day, — yet  "  the  Gospel 
of  the  Resurrection,"  if  we  may  so  call  it,  is  abso- 
lutel}^  and  entirely  complete  as  a  revelation. 

I.  It  is,  indeed,  most  wonderful  to  observe  how 
every  class  of  believer  was  considered  and  pro- 
vided for  by  our  Lord  in  His  manifestations  of 
Himself  on  Easter  Day  and  its  octave.  And  it  is 
not  a  little  instructive  to  observe  how  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  the  inspired  record  which  has  been 
preserved  for  us  has  provided  for  every  type  of 
spiritual  character,  and  every  kind  of  religious 
difficulty. 

We  have  the  record  of  at  least  three  appear- 
ances on  Easter  Day  of  our  Eord  to  individuals — 
to  S.  Mary  Magdalene,  to  S.  Peter,  and  to  the  two 
Disciples  on  the  way  to  Emmaus.  (Some,  per- 
haps, w^ould  add  a  fourth,  considering  the  appear- 
ance to  the  women  at  the  tomb  to  be  distinct  from 


1 86  Eastertide  Addresses. 

that  to  S.  Mary  Magdalene.)  And  to  these  we 
may  add  another  on  the  octave  of  Easter,  when 
our  Lord  appeared  to  S.  Thomas  and  offered  him 
the  particular  proof  of  the  reality  of  His  Resur- 
rection which  he  had  demanded. 

To  some,  doubtless,  these  manifestations  which 
the  HoivY  Spirit  has  recorded  have  seemed  acci- 
dental and  without  purpose  ;  but  when  we  ex- 
amine them  more  carefully,  we  cannot  but  be 
struck  with  admiration  at  the  marv^ellous  way  in 
which  they  seem  to  have  been  selected  so  as  to 
meet  exactly  all  the  possible  needs  of  humanity, 
all  the  diflerent  tj^pes  of  spiritual  character. 

Our  lyORD  said,  just  before  His  Passion,  "  I,  if 
I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  draw  all  men 
unto  Me  "  (S.  John  xii.,  32);  and  when  we  con- 
sider the  methods  by  which  men  are  drawn  to 
God,  they  seem  to  fall  into  four  classes.  And 
this  division  is  exhaustive,  and  corresponds  to  the 
four  appearances  of  our  Lord  to  individuals  after 
His  Resurrection. 

i.  The  first  way  in  which  man  is  drawn  to  God 
is  by  the  attracting  power  of  love.  * '  I  drew  them 
with  cords  of  a  man,  with  bands  of  love  ' '  (Hos. 
xi.,  4).  By  this  attraction  the  purest  and 
noblest  are  chiefly  drawn  to  God. 

And  so  our  Lord's  first  recorded  appearance 
was  to  a  woman  who,  both  as  the  representative 
of  her  sex,  and  also  in  her  own  individual  charac- 


vS.  Thomas.  187 

ter,  was  the  very  embodiment  of  love.  It  was  love 
that  had  driven  her  to  the  Cross  when  strong  men 
forsook  our  Lord  and  fled.  It  was  love  that 
drew  her  with  other  women  to  the  tomb  before 
any  men  found  their  way  thither.  And  so  the 
first  and  highest  means  by  which  our  Lord  draws 
men  to  Himself  is  through  that  noblest  gift  of 
man's  nature,  that  greatest  power  of  human  life, 
the  passion — the  power  of  Love. 

ii.  If  we  read  the  lives  of  God's  saints,  wherein 
we  can  best  study  the  movements  of  the  human 
soul  towards  God,  we  shall  probably  find  that, 
next  to  love,  penitence  has  been  the  power  by 
which  most  men  have  been  brought  to  Christ. 
The  noblest,  the  purest,  have  been  drawn  by  love, 
but  the  majority  are  not  noble  or  pure  in  their 
natural  life,  and  these,  in  the  misery  of  the  reali- 
zation of  their  sins,  have  been  driven  to  Christ 
as  their  Saviour  through  penitence. 

Such  an  one  was  S.  Peter.  Grievously  had  he 
sinned, — bitterly  had  he  wept  over  his  sin  and  re- 
pented ;  and  so,  apparently,  the  second  appearance 
of  our  Blessed  Lord  on  Easter  Day  was  to  peni- 
tent S.  Peter.  What  passed  between  him  and  his 
Lord  is  veiled  from  our  knowledge,  for  all  true 
penitence  is  between  God  and  the  soul  alone. 

The  world  may  see  something  of  the  fruits  of 
penitence  in  the  amended  life,  but  the  pouring 
out  of  the  soul  to  God  in  contrition  is  known 


1 88  Eastertide  Addresses, 

only  to  God  and  to  God's  Minister  under  the 
Sacramental  Seal. 

And  so,  in  truest  anticipation  of  the  Church's 
teachings  on  this  subject,  all  that  is  recorded  of 
this  manifestation  of  our  Lord  to  S.  Peter  is  in 
the  words,  ' '  The  lyORD  is  risen  indeed,  and  hath 
appeared  unto  Simon  "  (S.  Luke  xxiv.,  34).  We 
may  imagine  much,  but  we  can  know  nothing  of 
what  passed  between  the  penitent  and  the  Great 
High  Priest  and  Absolver. 

iii.  When  we  look  for  the  third  means  by 
which  men  are  brought  to  God,  we  shall  probably 
find  that  it  is  by  the  process  of  thought. 

While  penitence  is  not  confined  to  any  type  of 
character,  love  and  thought  probably  represent 
two  very  distinct  classes.  Love  asks  not  for 
reasons, — needs  not  arguments, — leaps  by  surest 
intuition  to  the  fullest  faith  ;  but  such  love  does 
not  belong  to  every  heart,  and  there  are  others 
not  less  noble  who  come  to  God  by  the  longer 
paths  and  slower  methods  of  earnest,  careful 
thought. 

We  may  bless  God  that  there  are  such  men,  for 
without  them  we  could  not  convert  the  world  and 
meet  its  intellectual  opposition.  Such  an  one,  per- 
haps, was  S.  Augustine,  slowly  and  laboriously 
thinking  out  the  problems  of  Christianity,  till  at 
last  the  Light  burst  with  overwhelming  power 
upon  his  soul. 


S.  TJiomas.  189 

Such  also  seem  to  have  been  the  two  Disciples 
whom  our  Lord  overtook  on  the  way  to  Emmaus. 
"  They  communed  together  and  reasoned.  .  .  . 
Their  eyes  were  holden  that  they  should  not 
know  Him  "  (S.  Luke  xxiv.,  15,  16).  He  joined 
in  their  conversation,  and  gradually  drew  out  of 
them  the  arguments  by  which  He  proved  to  them 
that  He  was  the  Messiah,  **  He  Which  should 
have  redeemed  Israel," — the  Christ.  For  "  be- 
ginning at  Moses  and  all  the  Prophets,  He  ex- 
pounded unto  them  in  all  the  Scriptures  the  things 
concerning  Himself." 

It  was  not  until  the  journey  had  drawn  to  its 
close  and  the  evening  shades  were  falling  that 
'  *  their  eyes  were  opened,  and  they  knew  Him  ; 
and  He  vanished  out  of  their  sight.  And  they 
said  one  to  another,  Did  not  our  heart  burn  within 
us,  while  He  talked  with  us  by  the  way,  and 
w^hile  He  opened  to  us  the  Scriptures  ?  " 

iv.  If  this  had  ended  our  Lord's  manifesta- 
tions of  Himself  after  His  Resurrection,  there 
would  have  been  a  class  of  men  still  unprovided 
for;  a  small  class,  it  is  true,  and  yet  one,  we  may 
venture  to  think,  peculiarly  dear  to  our  Blessed 
Lord,  and  found  even  among  His  Apostles  ;  a 
class  whose  temperament  brings  with  it  peculiar 
sufferings,  peculiar  difficulties  ;  a  class  for  whom 
the  world  can  do  nothing,  for  whom  Christ  alone 
can  do  all  things. 


1 90  Eastertide  Addresses. 

And  this  class  is  represented  by  S.  Thomas,  who 
by  temperament  seems  to  have  been  peculiarly 
slow  of  spiritual  apprehension,  and  to  have  been 
the  victim  of  that  greatest  of  all  mental  suffer- 
ings, doubt. 

II.  We  should  greatly  err  if  we  thought  of  S. 
Thomas  as  in  any  way  representing  the  self- 
satisfied,  easy-going  sceptic  of  to-day. 

Nay,  he  rather  represents  those  chosen  souls 
who  long  with  every  power  of  their  nature  to  give 
themselves  in  unquestioning  faith  to  their  Lord, 
but  who  are  tortured  by  intellectual  doubt,  result- 
ing often  from  the  very  keenness  of  their  mental 
powers,  and  the  very  fairness  and  thoroughness 
of  their  investigations, — because  they  see  so  much 
to  be  said  on  all  sides  that  they  suspend  their 
judgment  and  sometimes  withhold  the  allegiance 
they  long  to  give. 

This  is  largely  a  matter  of  temperament,  and  so 
far  from  looking  down  upon  this  temperament  as 
something  poorer  than  the  others,  we  should  re- 
gard it  as  belonging  in  some  degree  at  least  to  the 
deepest  and  highest  of  all  the  temperaments,  the 
melancholic, — the  temperament  of  S.  Paul. 

i.  Apart  from  the  lists  which  we  have  of  the 
Apostles,  S.  Thomas  is  brought  before  us  in  the 
Gospel  record  only  on  three  occasions.  The  first 
is  at  the  death  of  Lazarus,  where,  taking  the 
darkest  view,   as  his  temperament  naturally  led 


5.  Thomas,  191 

him  to  do,  he  says,  '  *  I^et  us  also  go,  that  we  may 
die  with  Him  "  (S.  John  xi.,  16). 

Our  lyORD,  hearing  that  I^azarus  was  sick,  had 
proposed  that  they  should  go  into  Judaea  again  to 
visit  him,  and  His  Disciples  had  reminded  Him 
of  the  great  danger  of  going  into  Judaea,  saying, 
'  *  Master,  the  Jews  of  late  sought  to  stone  Thee  ; 
and  goest  Thou  thither  again  ? ' '  But  S.  Thomas, 
with  the  clearest  recognition  of  the  danger,  and 
indeed  with  an  expectation  of  the  worst,  yet  with 
no  shrinking  from  it,  said,  ' '  lyCt  us  also  go,  that 
we  may  die  with  Him." 

Here  we  have  some  of  the  most  beautiful  char- 
acteristics of  the  melancholic  temperament, — 
strong  affection,  leading  to  heroic  self-sacrifice  de- 
liberately chosen  without  any  hope  of  success  or 
escape. 

ii.  S.  Thomas  is  introduced  to  us  the  second 
time  in  the  discourse  after  the  Last  Supper,  as  re- 
corded in  the  fourteenth  chapter  of  S.  John. 

Our  Lord,  speaking  of  His  departure,  had  said, 
*  *  If  I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will  come 
again,  and  receive  you  unto  Myself ;  that  where 
I  am,  there  ye  may  be  also.  And  whither  I  go 
ye  know,  and  the  way  ye  know.  Thomas  saith 
unto  Him,  Lord,  we  know  not  whither  Thou 
goest ;  and  how  can  we  know  the  way  ?  jESUS 
saith  unto  him,  I  am  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the 
life  :  no  man  cometh  unto  the  Father,  but  by 


192  Eastertide  Addresses. 

Me.  If  ye  had  known  Me,  ye  should  have  known 
My  Father  also  :  and  from  henceforth  ye  know 
Him,  and  have  seen  Him  "  (S.  John  xiv.,  3-8). 

Here  S.  Thomas,  with  that  intellectual  honesty 
which  is  one  of  the  best  traits  belonging  to  the 
melancholic  temperament,  interrupts  our  L^ord 
when  He  says,  ' '  Whither  I  go  ye  know,  and  the 
way  ye  know,"  by  protesting  that  this  is  more 
than  can  be  said  of  their  faith — '*  Lord,  we  know 
not  whither  Thou  goest ;  and  how  can  we  know 
the  way  ?  ' ' 

He  will  not  suffer  our  I^ord  to  assume  in  him 
any  more  faith  than  he  thinks  he  really  has. 
This  is  one  of  the  characteristics  which  often 
makes  the  melancholic  temperament  difficult  to 
deal  with,  and  which  sometimes  brings  down  upon 
it  thoughtless  censure  ;  and  yet  it  is  this  very 
truthfulness  which  we  all  must  admire,  since  it 
will  not  allow  anyone  to  think  better  of  it  than  it 
deserves. 

So  we  find  that  it  is  in  strictest  accord  with 
what  we  have  been  told  of  S.  Thomas  before  our 
Lord's  Passion,  that  he  should  be  the  one  to 
doubt  of  His  Resurrection. 

iii.  By  no  mere  accident,  but  * '  for  the  greater 
confirmation  of  the  Faith,"  S.  Thomas  was  al- 
lowed to  be  absent  when  our  Lord  appeared  to 
His  Apostles  on  Easter  Day.  He  heard  the  testi- 
mony of  others — of  the  women,  of  S.  Peter,  of 


6".  Thojnas.  193 

those  from  Bmmaus,  of  the  Apostles  gathered  in 
the  upper  chamber, — and  yet  he  could  not  believe. 

The  news  was  too  good  to  be  true,  too  wonder- 
ful, too  overwhelming  ;  and  so  S.  Thomas  says, 
"  Except  I  shall  see  in  His  Hands  the  print  of 
the  nails,  and  put  my  finger  into  the  print  of  the 
nails,  and  thrust  my  hand  into  His  Side,  I  will 
not  believe." 

It  was  no  mere  passing  exclamation  ;  for  we  are 
told  that  the  other  Disciples  kept  on  saying 
(J'Xeyov)  to  him,  * '  We  have  seen  the  Lord  ' ' ; 
but  to  all  their  assurances  he  made  once  for  all 
(877t£v)  the  answer,  ' '  Except  I  shall  see  in  His 
Hands  the  print  of  the  nails,  and  put  my  finger 
into  the  print  of  the  nails,  and  thrust  my  hand 
into  His  Side,  I  will  not  believe." 

He  thought  of  the  Lord  as  He  had  seen  Him 
in  death,  with  the  gaping  wounds  caused  by  the 
nails  and  the  spear.  These  he  must  see,  these  he 
must  touch,  before  he  could  believe  that  his  Lord 
had  indeed  returned  to  life  again. 

The  very  test  which  he  demanded  implied  an 
entire  misapprehension  of  the  powers  of  a  resur- 
rection body,  and  showed  that  his  thoughts  were, 
like  Mary  Magdalene's  thoughts,  still  fixed,  only 
in  a  greater  degree,  on  our  Lord  as  existing 
merely  under  the  conditions  of  earthly  life. 

But  when  the  proof  which  he  had  demanded 

was  offered  him,  he  saw  how  inadequate  it  was, 
13 


194  Eastertide  Addresses. 

that  is  to  say,  he  saw  how  far  beyond  anything 
that  he  expected  was  the  reality  ;  and  so  he  did 
not  need  to  touch  our  lyORD.  Our  lyORD  said, 
' '  Reach  hither  thy  finger,  and  behold  My  Hands  ; 
and  reach  hither  thy  hand,  and  thrust  it  into  My 
Side  :  and  be  not  faithless,  but  believing."  But 
Thomas  was  convinced,  and  without  the  test 
of  touch  confessed,  "  My  I^ord  and  my  God  !  " 
He  had  thought  of  the  resurrection  of  the  dead 
Body  of  his  earthly  Master  ;  he  realizes  that  it  is 
the  living  Body  of  his  God  that  he  sees. 

III.  Of  all  the  records  of  our  Lord's  appear- 
ances after  His  Resurrection,  perhaps  none  is  of 
greater  evidential  value  than  the  appearance  to  S. 
Thomas.  For  here  was  one  whose  doubts  were 
removed,  who  had  the  opportunity  of  testing  the 
truth  of  our  I^ord's  Resurrection,  and  who  bore 
witness  not  only  to  its  reality,  but  also  to  its 
power,  when  he  utered  his  cry  of  adoring  faith 
**  My  Lord  and  my  God  !  " 

Not  only  is  it  of  value  evidentially,  but  it  ob- 
tained for  us  the  utterance  of  our  Lord's  blessing 
upon  faith  :  '  *  Blessed  are  they  that  have  not  seen, 
and  yet  have  believed  "  :  a  blessing  so  dear  to  us 
in  this  age  of  want  of  faith. 

And  yet  again,  and  by  no  means  least  in  help- 
fulness or  importance,  the  appearance  to  S. 
Thomas  teaches  us  our  Lord's  patience  and 
tenderness  towards  those  who  are  honest  in  their 


vS.  Thomas.  195 

doubts,  and  affords  us  an  example  of  the  way  in 
which  we  should  deal  with  them. 

Moreover,  to  those  whose  cross  in  life  it  is  to 
undergo  the  tortures  of  intellectual  doubt,  it  gives 
hope  ;  and  more  than  hope — light,  with  the  as- 
surance, too,  of  the  ultimate  removal  of  all  doubt 
and  of  the  gift  of  faith  to  those  who  are  sincerely 
seeking  for  the  truth. 

Though  we  may  not  be  of  the  class  which  S. 
Thomas  represents,  yet  probably  most  of  us  have 
our  moments  of  depression,  difficulty,  and  doubt. 
At  such  times  let  us  think  of  S.  Thomas,  and 
of  our  lyORD's  words,  "  Blessed  are  they  that 
have  not  seen,  and  yet  have  believed  ' ' ;  and  with 
S.  Thomas,  let  us  cry,  in  humble  but  earnest 
faith,  *  *  My  IvORD  and  my  God  !  ' ' 


XIV. 

THE  MIRACUI.OUS  DRAUGHT  OF 
FISHES. 

'  *  AFTKR  THKSK  THINGS  JKSUS  SHKWKD  HIMSKLF 
AGAIN  TO  HIS  DISCIPLKS  AT  THE)  SEJA  OF  TI- 
BKRIAS  ;  AND  ON  THIS  WISE  SHEWED  HE 
HIMSEI.F.  THERE  WERE  TOGETHER  SIMON 
PETER,  AND  THOMAS  CAI,I,ED  DIDYMUS,  AND 
NATHANAEly  OF  CANA  IN  GAI,II,EE,  AND  THE 
SONS  OF  ZEBEDEE,  AND  TWO  OTHER  OF  HIS 
DISCIPIvES.  SIMON  PETER  SAITH  UNTO  THEM, 
I  GO  A  FISHING.  THEY  SAY  UNTO  HIM,  WE 
AI.SO  GO  WITH  THEE.  THEY  WENT  FORTH 
AND  ENTERED  INTO  A  SHIP  IMMEDIATEI.Y  ; 
AND  THAT  NIGHT  THEY  CAUGHT  NOTHING." 
»S.  Joh7l  xxi.y  I-J. 

WITH  the  record  which  S.  John  gives  of 
the  appearance  of  jESUS  to  the  Apostles 
at  the  Lake  of  Galilee  and  of  the  mirac- 
ulous draught  of  fishes,  we  begin  an  entirely  new 
series  of  manifestations  of  the  Risen  Lord.     The 
appearances  in  Judaea  are  over,  except  that  last 

196 


The  Miraculous  Drang  J  it  of  Fishes.      197 

appearance  when  our  Lord  led  His  Disciples  out  as 
far  as  Bethany  and  in  their  sight  ascended  up 
into  Heaven. 

At  His  express  command  the  Apostles  had  re- 
turned to  Galilee,  their  home,  and  to  the  scenes 
endeared  to  them  by  so  many  memories  of  their 
Master's  work  and  teaching.  There  was  the 
Lake  where  most  of  them  had  pursued  their  daily 
toil  before  they  were  called  to  become  fishers  of 
men.  There  was  the  Mountain  on  which  had 
been  promulgated  the  fundamental  Laws  of  His 
Kingdom,  the  principles  of  sanctit}^,  the  condi- 
tions of  happiness.  And  so  it  was  fitting  that  the 
Lake  and  the  Mountain,  which  had  witnessed 
His  early  toils,  should  be  the  scene  of  the  last 
manifestations  of  His  risen  Life. 

Our  Lord's  appearance  to  His  Apostles  on  the 
shore  of  the  Lake,  with  the  incidents  which  ac- 
companied it,  undoubtedly  forms  one  of  the  most 
striking,  as  well  as  one  of  the  most  mysterious  of 
the  manifestations  of  His  risen  Life. 

There  is  an  atmosphere  of  mystery  about  the 
whole  occurrence  ;  the  Apostles  toiling  fruitlessly 
through  the  dark  night,  and  just  as  it  began  to 
dawn,  beholding  the  form  of  a  mysterious  stranger 
standing  on  the  shore  and  asking  the  question, 
"  Children,  have  ye  any  meat  ?  "  and  then  giving 
the  strange  command,  "  Cast  the  net  on  the  right 
side  of  the  ship,  and  ye  shall  find." 


198  Eastertide  Addresses, 

I.  Then  follows  the  miraculous  draught  of 
fishes  ;  the  net  drawn  up  on  the  shore  unbroken, 
filled  with  great  fishes  ;  the  fire  of  coals  with  the 
fish  laid  thereon,  and  bread,  prepared  for  the 
breakfast  of  these  toilers  of  the  night  ;  the  invi- 
tation, ''  Come  and  breakfast,"  and  then  the 
episode  in  which  our  Lord,  so  pathetically  draw- 
ing from  S.  Peter  a  confession  of  love,  restores  to 
him  the  Apostolic  Commission,  and  foretells  the 
manner  of  his  death. 

Then,  in  response  to  a  question  of  S.  Peter, 
came  the  prophecy,  in  mysterious  words,  of  the 
long  trial  of  patient  waiting  which  was  to  fit  the 
Apostle  of  Love  for  his  task  as  the  Evangelist  of 
the  Godhead  of  Christ,  and  to  prepare  him  for 
his  eternal  reward  in  Heaven. 

An  atmosphere  of  mystery  shrouds  the  whole 
narrative,  and  has  led  all  great  commentators  on 
Holy  Scripture,  from  S.  Augustine  downwards, 
to  apply  to  it  the  principles  of  mystical  interpre- 
tation. We  shall  not  err,  therefore,  in  following 
their  example. 

i.  We  may  begin  by  noticing  the  two  mystic 
numbers  (three  and  seven)  which  meet  us  at  the 
outset,  for  S.  John  tells  us  that  it  was  "  the  third 
time  that  JKSUS  shewed  Himself  to  His  Disciples,* 
after  that  He  was  risen  from  the  dead." 

It  was  the  seventh  appearance,   counting  all 

*  ro?5  fxaBrjTaii,  see  page  182, 


TJie  Miraculous  Draught  of  Fishes.      199 

recorded  ;  for  He  had  appeared  on  Easter  Day 
to  the  women,  to  S.  Mary  Magdalene,  to  S.  Peter, 
to  the  two  Disciples  on  their  way  to  Hmmaus,  to 
the  Ten  assembled  in  the  upper  chamber,  and,  on 
the  octave  of  Easter,  to  S.  Thomas  and  those 
assembled  with  him.  This  appearance  by  the 
Lake,  therefore,  was  the  seventh  manifestation  of 
the  Risen  Lord. 

And  further,  we  observe  that  it  was  to  seven 
Disciples,  for  S.  John  tells  us  that  "  there  were 
together  Simon  Peter,  and  Thomas  called  Didy- 
mus,  and  Nathanael  of  Cana  in  Galilee,  and  the 
sons  of  Zebedee,  and  two  other  of  His  Disciples, ' ' 
seven  in  all. 

ii.  But  the  chief  point  to  be  considered  is  the 
striking  similarity  between  the  first  and  the  last 
miracle  of  our  Lord,  both  alike  recorded  only  by 
S.  John. 

Of  the  miracle  at  Cana  of  Galilee  he  says,  "And 
the  third  day  there  was  a  marriage  at  Cana  of 
Galilee  "  ;  of  the  miracle  of  the  draught  of  fishes, 
that  it  was  our  Lord's  third  manifestation  of 
Himself  to  the  Apostles.* 

It  has  been  said  of  the  first  miracle  at  Cana  that 
it  has  an  importance  of  its  own,  not  only  as  being 
the  first  exhibition  of  our  Lord's  power  and  the 
first  manifestation  of  His  glory,  but  (as  we  should 
expect  from  such  an  occasion)  as  being  a  revela- 

*  roli  na^rjrai'sf  see  page  182. 


200  Eastertide  Addresses. 

tion  of  the  purpose  and  method  of  God's  work  for 
man  ;  the  changing  the  water  into  wine  typify- 
ing the  lifting  up  of  the  lower  into  the  higher,  the 
law  of  progress  leading  towards  perfection. 

And  surely,  in  this  last  miracle  we  may  see 
typified  the  result  of  all  our  Lord's  work  in  the 
world  through  His  Apostolic  Church,  the  gather- 
ing together  on  the  shores  of  eternity  of  the 
"  great  multitude  which  no  man  can  number," 
the  fishers  and  their  fish,  the  missionaries  and  the 
souls  that  they  have  brought  to  Christ, — and 
their  sitting  down  with  their  Master  to  the  Feast 
which  He  has  prepared  in  His  Kingdom  in 
Heaven. 

But  here  we  may  pause  to  consider  the  circum- 
stances which,  as  it  were,  led  up  to  this  mysterious 
scene. 

iii.  The  Apostles  had  obeyed  the  command 
given  them  through  the  women,  to  whom  our 
Lord  had  said,  '*  Go  tell  My  brethren  that  they 
go  into  Galilee,  and  there  shall  they  see  Me." 
They  had  left  Judas.  A  time  of  waiting  had  ap- 
parently elapsed, — the  trial  of  their  faith, — and 
they  had  returned  to  their  forsaken  craft,  and 
resumed  their  ordinary  toil. 

If  this  had  been  before  they  fully  believed  in 
the  Resurrection,  it  would  have  seemed  an  aban- 
donment of  their  faith  and  hope.  We  could 
understand  that  if  they  had  given  up  hope  in  their 


The  Miraculous  Draught  of  Fishes.      201 

Master's  Resurrection,  and  had  come  to  look  upon 
all  the  fair  promises  of  His  teaching  as  nothing 
but  a  beautiful  dream,  they  would  naturally  have 
returned  to  their  avocations  in  the  world. 

But  we  know  that  if  they  had  abandoned  hope, 
it  was  only  because  that  hope  had  been  changed 
into  certainty.  They  had  seen  their  Lord,  seen 
the  marks  of  His  Passion,  heard  His  gracious 
words,  seen  Him  not  once,  but  many  times. 

What  a  magnificent  display,  then,  of  faith  and 
hope  was  this  return  to  their  daily  labours  !  One 
might  have  thought  that  they  v/ould  have  spent 
the  time  in  nervous  expectation,  from  sheer  in- 
ability to  do  anything  but  think  and  talk  about 
the  strange  new  life  into  which  they  seemed  to 
be  ushered  by  the  Resurrection  of  Christ.  What 
immense  self-control,  what  great  faith  it  must 
have  required  (when  they  knew  that  our  Lord 
might  appear  to  them  at  any  moment),  to  take  up 
quietly  and  calmly  the  ordinary  occupations  of 
daily  life  ! 

But  was  it  right  for  them  to  do  this  ?  Had  not 
our  Lord — on  the  memorable  occasion  of  the  first 
miraculous  draught  of  fishes,  when  some  of  them 
had  left  their  nets  to  follow  Him — made  them 
fishers  only  of  men  ?  And  on  another  occasion, 
when  He  sent  them  forth  two  and  two,  had  He 
not  said  to  them,  *  *  Provide  neither  gold  nor  sil- 
ver, nor  brass  in  your  purses,  nor  scrip  for  your 


202  Eastertide  Addresses. 

journey,  neither  two  coats,  neither  shoes,  nor  yet 
staves  :  for  the  workman  is  worthy  of  his  meat ' '  ? 
Yes,  He  had  said  all  this  at  the  beginning  of 
His  Ministry.  But  just  before  His  Death  He  had 
seemed  to  give  them  different  directions,  which 
were  to  guide  them  when  He  was  no  longer  with 
them  ;  for  we  read  in  the  twenty-second  chapter 
of  S.  Luke's  Gospel  that  "  He  said  unto  them. 
When  I  sent  3^ou  without  purse,  and  scrip,  and 
shoes,  lacked  ye  anything  ?  And  they  said, 
Nothing.  Then  said  He  unto  them.  But  now, 
he  that  hath  a  purse, 'let  him  take  it,  and  likewise 
his  scrip  :  and  he  that  hath  no  sword,  let  him  sell 
his  garment,  and  buy  one"  (S.  Luke  xxii.,  35, 

36). 

So  now  they  were  following  this  advice,  teach- 
ing thus  the  sublime  lesson,  so  greatly  needed 
by  us  all,  that  the  period  of  waiting  for  Christ 
must  be  a  period  of  workijig,  not  of  idle  expecta- 
tion ;  teaching  us,  too,  that  it  is  in  our  work  that 
we  are  often  to  find  our  Lord,  whereas  in  idle 
waiting  we  do  not  discover  Him. 

II.  S.  Peter  said,  "  I  go  a  fishing,"  and  the 
others  answered,  * '  We  also  go  with  thee. ' ' 
''And  that  night  they  caught  nothing."  That 
night  ;  it  was  therefore  not  the  first  night  that 
they  had  gone  fishing,  and  their  ill-success  was 
apparently  an  unusual  experience.  For  the  night 
was  the  right  time  for  fishing,  and  the  morning, 


The  Miraculous  DraugJu  of  Fishes.      203 

when  the  fish  were  able  to  see  the  net,  was  less 
favourable. 

Perhaps  this  is  to  teach  us  that  real  success  de- 
pends not  so  much  on  favourable  circumstances  as 
on  our  Lord's  presence  with  us  and  His  blessing 
on  our  work. 

Jesus,  Whom  they  saw  standing  on  the  shore, 
asked  the  question,  "  Children,  have  ye  any 
meat  ?  ' '  and  gave  the  command,  ' '  Cast  the  net 
on  the  right  side  of  the  ship,  and  ye  shall  find, ' ' 
without  being  recognized  by  any  of  the  Apostles. 
Perhaps  the  light  was  not  very  good,  for  it  was 
just  as  the  day  was  breaking.  But  more  prob- 
ably, as  in  the  case  of  Mary  in  the  garden,  and 
the  two  Disciples  on  their  way  to  Kmmaus,  there 
was  some  characteristic  of  our  Lord's  risen  Body 
which  hindered  the  immediate  recognition  of 
Him. 

Almost  all  commentators  have  pointed  out  that 
this  miracle  needs,  for  its  interpretation,  to  be 
compared  with  the  similar  miracle  recorded  in  the 
fifth  chapter  of  S.  Luke's  Gospel,  which  took 
place  at  the  beginning  of  our  Lord's  Ministry. 
There  is  much  that  is  similar  in  the  two  miracles, 
and  some  things  which  are  in  striking  contrast. 
From  both  we  may  learn  useful  lessons. 

i.  In  regard  to  the  points  of  similarity,  we  may 
notice  in  both  the  circumstance  of  the  ' '  net  cast 
into  the  sea, ' '  which  in  His  parable  in  the  thir- 


204  Eastertide  Addresses. 

teenth  chapter  of  S.  Matthew  (verse  47)  our  IvOrd 
tells  us  represents  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven.  In 
both  miracles  the  net  was  cast  by  the  hands  of 
Apostles  ;  in  both  this  was  done  after  a  night  of 
toil  and  failure  ;  in  both  there  was  the  express 
command  of  Christ. 

ii.  While  both  miracles,  casting  their  shadows 
before,  set  forth  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  yet  it  is 
the  Kingdom  at  different  seasons  and  in  different 
aspects. 

(i)  In  the  first  miracle  the  Apostles  were 
"  called,"  but  as  yet  were  untried  ;  in  the  last, 
they  had  been  tried  and  chosen.  The  first,  there- 
fore, sets  forth  the  Church  of  those  who  are  called ; 
the  other  the  Church  of  the  elect ;  the  one  the 
Church  Militant,  the  other  the  Church  Triumph- 
ant invisible  to  earthly  eyes,  and  resplendent  in 
its  glory  in  Heaven. 

(2)  In  the  first  miracle  the  fishes  break  the  nets 
and  fill  the  boats,  representing  the  Church  on 
earth,  where,  as  S.  Paul  says,  there  must  be 
heresies  and  schisms,  ' '  that  they  which  are  ap- 
proved may  be  made  manifest." 

The  ship  tossing  on  the  waves  is  like  the  ark, 
a  refuge  alike  for  clean  and  unclean. 

In  the  last  miracle  the  net  is  unbroken,  and  is 
drawn  up,  not  into  the  boats,  but  to  the  shore,  its 
contents  being  hidden  in  the  deep  until  safely 
brought  to  land  ;  and  this  shore  is  the  end  of  the 


The  Miraculous  DraugJit  of  Fishes.      205 

world,  as  our  lyORD  Himself  tells  us  in  the  para- 
ble that  we  have  quoted  :  "When  it  was  full,  they 
drew  to  shore.  ...  So  shall  it  be  at  the  end 
of  the  world"  (S.  Matt,  xiii.,  47-49).  The  un- 
broken net  drawn  to  shore,  representing  the 
Church  Triumphant,  contains,  not  good  and  bad, 
but  is  *  *  full  of  great  fishes,  an  hundred  and  fifty 
and  three, ' '  the  number  of  the  elect. 

(3)  We  may  trace  a  further  contrast  in  the  num- 
ber of  the  Disciples.  In  the  first  miracle  there 
were  apparently  four,  S.  Peter  and  probably 
his  brother,  S.  James  and  S.  John.  In  this 
miracle  there  are  seven,  the  same  four  and  three 
others. 

And  here  again  we  may  see  a  mystical  signifi- 
cance in  the  numbers,  for  the  number  four  repre- 
sents the  Church  acting  on  the  world,  the  Gospel 
going  forth  to  water  and  replenish  the  earth  like 
the  four  rivers  of  Paradise  ;  while  seven  is  made 
up  of  the  divine  number  three  added  to  that  four, 
and  tells  of  the  H01.Y  Spirit  sanctifying  mankind 
with  His  sevenfold  gifts. 

In  the  first  miracle,  as  we  have  observed,  it  is 
the  work  of  the  Church  Militant  which  is  set  be- 
fore us.  In  the  last  the  work  is  done,  mankind 
is  sanctified,  the  Saints  are  gathered  into  the 
Kingdom. 

(4)  In  this  last  miracle  S.  John  tells  us  that 
'  *  they  were  not  far  from  the  land,  but  as  it  were 


2o6  Eastertide  Addresses. 

two  hundred  cubits," — about  a  hundred  yards, — 
showing  us  how  near  Christ  was  to  them  in  their 
toil,  and  reminding  us,  perhaps,  of  the  struggle  in 
Gethsemane,  when  ''  He  was  withdrawn  from 
them  about  a  stone's  cast,  and  kneeled  down,  and 
prayed  "  (S.  Luke  xxii.,  41). 

And  is  it  not  so  now  ? — so  slight  is  the  veil  be- 
tween the  Church  struggling  and  her  glorious 
Head  interceding  for  her  at  the  Right  Hand  of  the 
Father  in  Heaven  !  What  courage  we  could 
often  gain  if  we  kept  the  thought  more  before  us 
that  our  Lord  is  not  very  far  away,  that  He  is 
withdrawn  only  as  it  were  a  stone's  cast,  and  is 
interceding  for  us  whom  He  has  commanded  to 
watch  and  pray,  because  He  knows  the  severity 
of  our  struggle  and  the  weakness  of  our  flesh. 

(5)  Again,  we  may  observe  that  in  the  first 
miracle  there  was  no  direction  regarding  the 
manner  in  which  the  net  was  to  be  cast.  In  this 
the  Apostles  were  commanded  to  cast  it  on  the 
right  side,  reminding  us,  perhaps,  of  the  sheep, 
who  are  gathered  on  the  Right  Hand  of  the 
Judge. 

(6)  In  the  first  miracle  there  was  an  indefinite 
number  of  fishes,  in  the  last  one  hundred  and 
fifty- three  great  fishes,  a  definite  number,  and  yet 
*  *  a  great  multitude,  which  no  man  could  number, 
of  all  nations,  and  kindreds,  and  people,  and 
tongues,  who  shall  stand  before  God  ' ' ;  when  the 


The  Miraculous  DraiigJit  of  Fishes.      207 

sea  shall  give  up  the  dead  which  are  in  it,  and 
the  dead,  small  and  great,  shall  be  judged. 

Let  us  therefore  ponder  this  last  miracle  of  our 
Blessed  Lord,  striving  to  gather  from  it  those 
lessons  of  hope  and  encouragement  which  we  need 
so  sorely  as  we  toil  upon  the  waves  of  this 
troublesome  world — straining  our  eyes  towards 
the  eternal  shore  where,  when  the  morning 
dawns,  we  shall  see  Jesus  standing  and  waiting 
to  welcome  the  pilgrims  of  the  night. 


XV. 

JKSUS  STANDING  ON  THE  SHORE. 

"but  whkn  thk  morning  was   now  comk, 
JKSUS  STOOD  ON  THK  SHORK. ' '    S.  John  xxi. ,  ^. 

THE  preceding  verses  of  this  chapter,  which 
we  have  already  considered,  tell  us  of  the 
Apostles  returning  to  their  labours  as 
fishermen  and  spending  the  night  in  fruitless  toil. 
'*  That  night  they  caught  nothing."  But  the 
night  passed,  and  when  the  morning  was  come, 
they  saw  our  Lord  standing  on  the  shore. 

I.  We  have  here,  at  the  outset,  two  contrasts  : 
night  and  morning  ;  the  restless,  changing  sea 
and  the  firm  shore. 

i.  Night  and  morning.  The  night  of  time, 
of  this  world  ;  a  night  of  darkness,  of  difiiculty, 
of  doubt.  And  the  morning  of  eternity  with  its 
brilliant  light,  when  all  doubts,  all  fears  shall  be 
cleared  away.     Night  and  morning  ! 

Our  life  in  this  world  is  like  a  journey  at  night, 
over  mountains,  along  a  road  passing  close  to 
precipices,  which,  because  of  the  darkness,  we 

208 


Jesus  Standing  on  the  Shore.  209 

cannot  see.  Darkness  is  the  great  feature  of 
night  and  of  our  life  in  this  world, — darkness 
and  unreality. 

And  as  we  dream  at  night,  and  awake  to  find 
it  all  unreal  ;  so  in  this  life  we  often  dream  that 
we  are  what  we  are  not.  We  build  castles  which 
the  dawning  day  will  destroy.  We  think  we  are 
what  we  are  not ;  think  ourselves  humble,  sincere, 
perhaps;  we  measure  ourselves  by  our  feelings, 
by  our  good  intentions,  by  what  we  wish  to  do 
and  to  be. 

This  is  one  of  the  characteristics  of  our  life 
during  the  dark  night  of  this  world  ;  and  when 
the  morning  dawns  our  life  will  be  examined  in 
the  clear  light  of  the  everlasting  day.  Not  our 
intentions,  not  our  wishes,  not  our  feelings  will 
be  scrutinized,  but  our  actions  and  ourselves-^ 
what  we  have  done,  what  we  are. 

And  then,  in  this  world,  too,  we  are  always 
making  mistakes  about  others,  judging  them  as 
they  minister  to  our  pleasure  or  self-interest,  not 
as  they  really  are.  In  the  darkness  of  this  life, 
again,  we  sometimes  make  mistakes  about  God, 
thinking  that  God  is  hard — as  if  that  were  pos- 
sible ;  thinking  that  God  has  forgotten  us  ; 
thinking  that  God  does  not  care  how  much  or 
what  we  have  to  suffer. 

But  when  the  night  is  over,  and  the  morning 

comes,  and  all  these  unreal  shadows  have  been 
14 


2IO  Eastertide  Addresses. 

dispersed  by  the  appearance  of  the  Sun  of  Right- 
eousness, our  lyORD,  standing  on  the  shores  of 
eternit}^,  we  shall  know  all  things  as  they  are, — 
ourselves,  our  neighbours  and  our  God. 

ii.  And  then,  there  is  the  other  contrast — be- 
tween the  restless,  changing  sea  and  the  firm 
shore.  The  sea  so  unquiet,  so  treacherous  ;  ever 
threatening  us  with  shipwreck,  its  calms  being 
sometimes  more  dangerous  than  its  storms  ;  for  it 
is  by  those  calms  that  we  are  lulled  into  false  se- 
curity, while  the  storms  frighten  us  and  drive  us 
to  our  Lord  for  help. 

The  night  upon  the  sea  has  to  be  spent  in 
work  which  is  often  disappointing,  promising 
much  and  ending,  or  seeming  to  end,  in  nothing. 
This  is  so  of  necessity,  since  the  true  results  of 
all  our  labour  cannot  be  really  known  until  the 
nets  are  drawn  ashore  in  eternity. 

II.  "When  the  morning  was  now  come,  JKSUS 
stood  on  the  shore."  The  true  reading  of  the 
text  here  is,  "Just  as  the  dawn  was  breaking" 
(TtpGDia'S  yiro/ievTj^y  not  y£rojJ.8Vf^?).  Just  as 
the  night  was  dispersing,  just  as  the  darkness 
was  fleeing  away,  there  upon  the  shore  stood 
jKSUS. 

These  few  words  are  a  sermon  in  themselves — 
an  Easter  parable.  For  I^ent  is  our  night-time 
of  penitence  and  sorrow,  the  work-time  in  our 
souls  for  God  ;  and  when  the  morning  began  to 


I 

I 


Jesus  Standing  o?i  the  Shore.  211 

break  on  Easter  Day,  just  as  the  light  was  steal- 
ing in  through  the  windows  of  the  church,  JKSUS 
was  on  His  Altar  to  receive  those  who  had  been 
struggling  and  working  in  penitence — to  receive 
them  with  the  invitation,  "  Children,  come  and 
dine  ;  children,  come  and  break  your  fast"  (for 
this  is  what  apL0ri](jare  means).  Yes,  the  fasts 
of  Lent  are  over,  the  gloom  of  lycnt  is  past,  the 
Feast  of  Easter  come,  and  the  glories  of  the  Resur- 
rection are  filling  us  with  exulting  joy  ! 

But  it  is  not  only  as  a  parable  of  our  Kasters  on 
earth  that  we  may  take  these  words  ;  they  may 
be  taken  far  more  truly  as  a  parable  of  the  glori- 
ous Easter  of  eternity.  In  this  world,  during  the 
night,  in  the  ship  of  the  Church,  labouring,  watch- 
ing, praying,  working,  sometimes  in  calms,  some- 
times in  storms,  we  strain  our  eyes  towards  the 
eternal  shores. 

i.  The  calms  should  be  spent  in  learning  from 
Christ  ;  for  we  remember  that  the  first  miracu- 
lous draught  of  fishes,  of  which  we  read  in  S. 
lyuke,  was  preceded  by  a  calm,  when  our  Lord  sat 
in  the  little  fishing-boat  and  taught  His  Disciples. 

So  when  there  is  a  calm  in  our  spiritual  life,  it 
is  not  a  time  for  idleness,  not  a  time  for  holidays. 
Our  spiritual  life  is  a  school  which  only  * '  breaks 
up  "  once,  and  then  the  holiday  is  eternal. 

In  this  world  the  toiler  of  the  night  can  never 
rest  from  his  labour,  can  never  give  up  his  watch- 


212  Eastertide  Addresses. 

fulness  ;  but  when  there  is  a  little,  brief  space,  as 
it  were,  of  calm  in  our  lives,  then  we  must  labour 
to  learn  more  about  God,  more  about  His  Reve- 
lation. Then  we  must,  like  good  mariners,  put 
our  rigging  and  our  ship  in  order,  so  that  when 
the  storm  comes  it  may  find  us  prepared. 

ii.  Calm  and  storm.  Andif  the  calm  is  the  time 
for  learning,  the  storm  is  the  time  for  practising 
the  lesson  we  have  learned,  that  is,  to  trust  in 
God  ;  when  the  storm  of  temptation  or  trouble 
bursts  upon  us,  then  is  the  time,  in  the  words  of 
the  Psalmist,  to  make  our  act  of  faith  :  ' '  God  is 
our  hope  and  strength,  a  very  present  help  in 
trouble.  Therefore  will  we  not  fear,  though  the 
earth  be  moved,  and  though  the  hills  be  carried 
into  the  midst  of  the  sea  ;  though  the  waters 
thereof  rage  and  swell,  and  though  the  mountains 
shake  at  the  tempest  of  the  same"  (Ps.  xlvi., 
1-3).  Then  is  the  time  to  make  our  act  of  faith, 
to  realize  God's  presence  with  us  in  the  Church  : 
* '  God  is  in  the  midst  of  her,  therefore  shall  she 
not  be  removed  :  God  shall  help  her,  and  that 
right  early  "  (v.,  5). 

And  so  life  passes, — storm  and  calm,  until  at 
last,  in  the  great  Easter  Day,  the  eternal  calm 
breaks  upon  us,  and  the  storm  is  stilled  for  ever 
by  our  I^ord's  words,'*  Peace,  be  still."  And  as 
the  darkness  is  chased  away  by  the  dawn  of  that 
great  Kaster  Day,  we  shall  see  J:^SUS  standing 


Jesus  Standing  on  the  Shore,  213 

on  the  shores  of  eternity  to  welcome  the  pil- 
grims of  time,  to  welcome  the  almost  shipwrecked 
mariners  across  life's  sea,  safe  home,  safe  home 
in  port, — safe  at  last  in  the  haven  where  they 
would  be. 

III.  But  here  we  must  work  "  while  it  is  called 
to-day  "  ;  for  there  '*  they  rest  from  their  labours, 
and  their  works  do  follow  them. ' '  How  sad  to 
reverse  the  order,  to  rest  here  in  the  rest  of  idle- 
ness, and  so  to  have  no  work,  or  but  little  work 
for  God,  to  follow  us  into  eternity  ! 

Here  ceaseless  prayer  :  "  Lord,  save  us  ;  we 
perish  "  in  the  storm  !  There  praj^er  changed  to 
praise,  to  endless  Alleluias  ;  for  there  the  Lord 
God  Omnipotent  reigneth,  and  sin  and  darkness 
and  doubt  are  gone.  Here  work  and  prayer, 
there  rest  and  praise. 

And  yet  even  here,  amid  all  the  darkness,  through 
all  the  storm,  those  who  are  striving  with  all 
earnestness  to  serve  God,  those  whose  eyes  are 
strengthened  by  love  and  cleansed  by  penitence, 
can  pierce,  as  it  were,  the  clouds  and  darkness  of 
time,  and  in  the  distance  can  see  jESUS  waiting, 
standing  on  the  shore,  as  S.  Stephen  saw  Him 
when  he  said,  "  Behold,  I  see  the  heavens  opened, 
and  the  Son  of  Man  standing  on  the  Right  Hand 
of  God." 

Yes,  even  in  this  life,  those  whose  eyes  are 
fixed  heavenward,  v/ho  are  looking  "  not  at  the 


b 


214  Eastertide  Addresses. 

things  which  are  seen,  but  at  the  things  which 
are  not  seen, ' '  not  at  the  things  which  are  tem- 
poral, but  at  the  things  which  are  eternal,  those 
who  are  straining  to  pierce  the  heavens,  they  may 
see  JKSUS  waiting  to  welcome  them  with  those 
words,  *'  Children,  come  and  dine." 

Children  of  the  night,  children  of  the  morning, 
children  of  the  Resurrection,  you  who  have  been 
feeding  upon  His  Body  here  are  invited  to  that 
Marriage  Supper  of  the  Lamb  there.  "  Children, 
come  and  dine ' ' ;  you  are  invited  to  that  Feast 
which  knows  no  ending,  to  that  Feast  of  which 
your  Communions  here  are  but  a  foretaste,  of 
which  your  Basters  here  are  but  a  type. 

Let  us,  then,  w^ork  and  watch  and  pray  ;  let 
us  repent,  cleanse  the  eye  of  the  soul  by  penitence, 
and  look  forward  to  that  day  when,  the  night 
being  past,  the  sea  crossed,  and  our  work  done, 
we  shall  see  JKSUS  standing  on  the  shore,  wel- 
coming us  with  the  invitation,  *'  Children,  come 
and  dine. ' ' 


XVI. 
THE  REVELATION  OF  THE  KINGDOM. 

"  THEN  THE  ELEVEN  DISCIPLES  WENT  AWAY 
INTO  GALILEE,  INTO  A  MOUNTAIN  WHERE 
JESUS  HAD  APPOINTED  THEM.  AND  WHEN 
THEY  SAW  HIM,  THEY  WORSHIPPED  HIM  : 
BUT  SOME  DOUBTED.  AND  JESUS  CAME  AND 
SPAKE  UNTO  THEM,  SAYING,  ALL  POWER  IS 
GIVEN  UNTO  ME  IN  HEAVEN  AND  IN  EARTH. 
GO  YE  THEREFORE,  AND  TEACH  ALL  NA- 
TIONS, BAPTIZING  THEM  IN  THE  NAME  OF 
THE  FATHER,  AND  OF  THE  SON,  AND  OF  THE 
HOLY  GHOST  :  TEACHING  THEM  TO  OBSERVE 
ALL  THINGS  WHATSOEVER  I  HAVE  COM- 
MANDED YOU  :  AND,  LO,  I  AM  WITH  YOU 
ALWAY,  EVEN  UNTO  THE  END  OF  THE 
WORLD.   AMEN."      S.  Matt.  XXVtii.,  l6-20. 

THE  appearance  of  our  Blessed  Lord  to  His 
Apostles  and  the  assembled  multitude  of 
believers,  in  a  mountain  in  Galilee,  differs 
from  His  other  appearances  in  that  it  was   ex- 
pected and  prepared  for. 

For  S.  Matthew  tells  us  that  when  our  Blessed 

215 


2i6  Eastertide  Addresses, 

Lord  appeared  to  the  holy  women  on  Easter  Day, 
He  said,  ' '  Go  tell  My  brethren  that  they  go  into 
Galilee,  and  there  shall  they  see  Me. ' '  And  in 
the  words  of  our  text  this  is  referred  to  even 
more  explicitly,  for  we  read  that  the  Disciples 
"  went  away  into  Galilee,  into  a  mountain  where 
JKSUS  had  appointed  them." 

All  the  other  appearances  of  our  Blessed  lyORD 
were  unexpected.  This  alone  they  had  been  pre- 
pared for,  by  the  appointment  certainly  of  the 
place,  perhaps  also  of  the  time. 

If  we  had  only  S.  Matthew's  account,  w^e  might 
suppose  that  this  appearance  was  confined  to  the 
Apostles.  But  it  is  usual  to  consider  that  the 
appearance  to  ""  above  five  hundred  brethren  at 
once,"  of  which  S.  Paul  tells  us  (i  Cor.  xv.,  6), 
is  identical  with  this  appearance  on  the  mountain 
in  Galilee. 

The  fact  that  it  had  been  appointed  by  our 
Lord  Himself,  and  was  therefore  expected,  and 
that  there  were  gathered  in  that  place  not  only 
the  Apostles,  but  a  very  large  number  of  believ- 
ers, would  lead  us  to  expect  on  this  occasion  a 
manifestation  of  a  very  special  character. 

I.  And  indeed,  w^e  may  consider  this  as  our 
Lord's  regal  manifestation  of  Himself,  As  the 
Messiah  He  had  been  anointed  on  earth  b)^  the 
H01.Y  Ghost  to  the  threefold  office  of  Prophet, 
Priest,  and  King ;    and  now,  before  He  leaves 


The  Revelation  of  the  Kingdom.         2 1 7 

earth  to  exercise  these  offices  for  His  Church 
in  Heaven,  He  delegates  them  in  a  spiritual  form 
to  His  Church  on  earth. 

For,  surely,  He  bestowed  upon  the  Church  the 
prophetical  office  when  He  promised  the  Holy 
Ghost  Who  should  lead  His  Apostles  into  all 
truth,  and  when  He  gave  the  pastoral  charge  to 
feed  His  sheep.  He  delegated  the  priestly  office 
to  the  Apostles  when  He  gave  them  power  to 
offer  the  Eucharistic  Sacrifice.  And  in  this  man- 
ifestation we  have  the  delegation  of  the  kingly 
office  ;  for,  after  claiming  all  power  both  in 
Heaven  and  in  earth,  He  sent  forth  His  Church 
to  gather  in  all  nations,  giving  His  Apostles  the 
keys  of  His  Kingdom, — the  power  to  loose  and  to 
bind,  which  is  clearly  a  kingly  prerogative. 

Indeed,  this  manifestation  seems  especially  to 
bring  before  us  the  kingly  aspect  of  our  Lord's 
office.  For  He  appears  with  His  glorified  risen 
Body,  as  the  King  of  kings,  claiming  authority 
over  all  things,  and  delegating  that  authority  to 
the  officers  of  His  Kingdom.  It  is  fitting,  too, 
that  this  occurrence  should  be  recorded  by  S. 
Matthew,  since  His  Gospel  is  especially  the  Gos- 
pel of  the  Ki7igdom. 

II.  Again,  we  may  notice  the  place  which  our 
Lord  chose  for  this  appearance.  It  was  a  moun- 
tain in  Galilee.  Mountains  have  played  a  great 
part  in  God's  revelation  to  man. 


2i8  Eastertide  Addresses, 

In  the  Old  Testament  they  seem  especially  to 
designate  the  holy  places  of  God,  where  He 
deigned  to  meet  with  man.  For  there  we  read 
of  Mount  Sinai,  where  the  I^aw  was  given  ; 
Mount  Zion,  where  the  Temple  was  built  ;  and 
Mount  Carmel,  where  God  answered  b}^  fire  the 
prayer  of  the  prophet  Elijah. 

In  the  New  Testament  we  have  the  Mount  of 
Beatitudes,  whence  Christ  promulgated  the 
laws  of  His  Kingdom  ;  Mount  Tabor,  where  He 
allowed  His  Apostles  for  a  brief  space  to  behold 
the  Vision  of  His  Glory  ;  the  Mount  of  Olives, 
where  they  saw  His  conflict  and  pra\^er  ;  and 
Mount  Calvary,  where  they  beheld  His  Death. 

We  do  not  know  which  of  these  mountains 
was  the  one  selected  for  this  great  event ;  nor, 
indeed,  whether  it  was  any  of  these,  though 
many  writers  consider  it  most  probable  that  it 
was  the  Mount  of  Beatitudes.  If  this  was  the 
mountain  chosen  by  Christ,  it  must  have  re- 
called many  holy  memories  of  His  early  Min- 
istry to  those  who  were  waiting  for  His  appear- 
ance. 

S.  Matthew  tells  us  that  "when  they  saw  Him, 
they  worshipped  Him  ;  but  some  doubted  ' '  ;  and 
this  reference  to  doubters  shows  us  that  there 
must  have  been  others  present  besides  the  Apos- 
tles, since  we  know  that  the  doubts  in  S.  Thom- 
as's mind  had  been  removed  when  our  I^ord 


The  Revelation  of  the  Kingdom.         219 

appeared  to  the  Apostles,  on  the  octave  of  Kaster 
Day,  which  was  before  they  left  Jerusalem. 

Those  therefore,  who  doubted,  were  some  of  the 
*  *  five  hundred  brethren  ' '  who  were  assembled 
waiting  for  His  appearance.  When  they  saw 
Him  in  all  His  glory,  and  heard  His  words,  their 
doubts  must  have  vanished  at  once. 

III.  S.  Augustine  coUvSiders  this  the  eighth  ap- 
pearance of  our  Lord  after  His  Resurrection  ;  and 
we  may  observ^e  that  these  manifestations  fall  into 
three  classes. 

(i)  They  were  to  individuals,  to  meet  indi- 
vidual needs,  to  deal  with  individual  character- 
istics ;  (2)  to  the  Apostles,  to  bestow  on  them  the 
gifts  and  powers  necessary  for  the  life  and  work 
of  the  Church  ;  (3)  to  the  great  multitude  on  the 
mountain,  * '  above  five  hundred  brethren ' '  (among 
whom  were  the  Apostles),  representing  by  their 
number  humanity.  It  is  on  this  last  occasion 
that  He  tells  this  Church  that  they  are  to  make 
disciples  of  all  nations^  for  He  is  the  Saviour  of 
all  men. 

As  individual  souls  we  need  our  Lord,  for  He 
alone  knows  us  and  can  help  us  in  all  our  diffi- 
culties. As  a  corporate  organization  we  need 
Him,  for  the  Church  is  His  Bod3^  But  as  a  race 
also  we  need  our  Lord,  for  as  the  Son  of  Man, 
He  is  the  great  Head  of  humanity. 

IV.  "  Jesus  came  and  spake  unto  them,  saying, 


220  Eastertide  Addresses. 

All  power  is  given  unto  Me  in  Heaven  and  in 
earth."  What  a  royal  greeting  !  He  claims  to 
have  received  "  all  authority  "  {iB>ov6ia)^  and  all 
authority  can  be  claimed  by  none  but  the  King 
of  kings. 

What  a  contrast  to  Calvary  !  On  the  Cross  had 
been  nailed  the  title  written  in  derision  by  Pilate, 
*  *  Jesus  of  Nazareth  the  King  of  the  Jews ' '  ;  and 
now  He  reveals  Himself  not  only  as  King  of  the 
Jews,  but  of  all  people  on  earth,  and  of  all  Heaven 
as  well. 

On  Calvary  He  refused  to  use  His  kingly 
power,  and  bore  His  Passion  in  all  the  weakness 
of  His  Humanity.  Not  that  He  for  one  moment 
laid  aside  any  attribute  of  His  Godhead  in  the 
sense  that  He  did  not  at  that  time  possess  it,  for 
this  would  have  been  impossible.  Nor  was  He 
deprived  of  the  Beatific  Vision  ;  only  He  refused 
to  yield  up  the  ghost  and  to  terminate  His  human 
life  before  the  moment  when  He  could  say  of  His 
Father's  Work,  *'  It  is  finished." 

We  may  observe  the  contrast  between  our 
Lord's  regal  and  Divine  power, — claimed  and 
exercised  in  the  words,  **  All  power  is  given  unto 
Me  in  Heaven  and  in  earth.  Go  ye  therefore  and 
make  disciples  of  all  nations," — and  the  absence 
of  all  earthly  power  in  the  humiliation  of  His  Pas- 
sion. 

And  we  may  learn  from  this  contrast  a  difiScult 


TJie  Revelation  of  the  Kingdom.         221 

but  much-needed  lesson  in  regard  to  the  work  of 
Christ's  Church  in  the  world  ;  that  it  is  in  pro- 
portion as  the  Church  abstains  from  using  the 
mere  natural  powers  of  the  world  to  accomplish 
her  spiritual  results,  that  she  is  able  to  use  those 
Divine  powers  which  were  on  this  occasion  com- 
mitted to  her  by  her  Risen  lyORD. 

V.  The  early  centuries  of  the  Church's  history 
illustrate  this.  During  the  first  three  centuries, 
when  the  Church  had  to  depend  entirely  on  the 
strength  which  came  to  her  from  God,  when  she 
taught  fearlessly  and  without  compromise  all  the 
truth  which  her  Master  had  committed  to  her 
keeping,  although  she  had  all  the  powers  of  the 
world  against  her— she  grew  and  increased,  not 
only  in  numbers  but  in  sanctity,  with  a  strength 
and  growth  she  probably  has  never  since  mani- 
fested. 

When,  however,  at  the  accession  of  Constan- 
tine,  she  began  to  use  the  powers  of  the  world 
to  do  her  work  and  enforce  her  claims,  her  history 
presents  a  piteous  spectacle  of  discord,  heresy. 
and  schism,  which  to  some  extent  has  lasted  ever 
since. 

And  in  the  various  reformations  or  revivals  of 
the  Church's  life — such,  for  instance,  as  those  as- 
sociated with  the  names  of  S.  Benedict,  S.  Ber- 
nard, S.  Francis  Assisi,  and  S.  Dominic — this 
principle  seems  always  to  assert  itself ;  that  it  is 


222  Eastertide  Addresses.  • 

just  in  proportion  as  the  Church  refuses  to  use 
worldly  instruments,  and  relies  upon  spiritual 
weapons  in  her  warfare  with  evil,  that  she  carries 
all  before  her. 

VI.  Have  we  not  here  a  lesson  much  needed  in 
our  own  age,  when  we  allow  Church  work  to  de- 
pend so  much  on  the  use  of  ivorldly  methods — 
committees  of  influential  persons,  and  organiza- 
tions run  "on  business  principles" — instead  of 
relying  upon  the  almighty  power  of  the  HoIvY 
Ghost  speaking  through  the  Creeds  and  working 
through  the  sacramental  channels  of  the  Church  ? 

Our  Lord  claims  that  all  power  in  Heaven  and 
in  earth  is  His,  and  He  has  committed  to  His 
Church  all  necessary  power  on  earth.  Yet  the 
world  thinks  the  Church's  powers  absolutely  in- 
significant and  contemptible,  and  recognizes  as 
something  far  more  effective  the  puny  powers 
which  her  children  are  allowed  to  wield.  And 
too  often,  alas  !  the  people  of  God  act  as  though 
they  took  the  same  view. 

It  is  reported  of  Archimedes  that  when  he  dis- 
covered the  properties  of  the  lever,  he  exclaimed  : 
* '  Give  me  a  spot  on  which  to  stand  outside  the 
world,  and  I  will  move  the  world  ! "  *  How  truly 
can  they  who  have  discovered  the  properties  of 
Divine  grace  say,  that  in  proportion  as  they  can 
free  themselves  from  the  world  and  stand  outside 

*  Aoi  Ttov  drc^j  uai  xrjv  yrjv  Htvj}6a>. 


TJie  Revelation  of  the  Kingdom,         223 

its  methods  and  powers,  they  can  sway  and  move 
the  world  at  their  will. 

Humanity  longs  for  the  light  of  absolute  truth, 
and  groans  under  the  burden  and  the  darkness 
of  sin.  And  yet  the  world,  with  all  its  boasted 
powers,  cannot  remit  one  sin  or  reveal  one  doc- 
trine of  Divine  truth  ;  while  the  humblest  Priest 
of  God's  Church,  by  virtue  of  the  power  entrusted 
to  him,  can  remit  to  those  who  are  penitent  all 
sin  by  the  application  of  the  Precious  Blood  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  can  teach  all  revealed  truth 
with  the  authority  of  the  Church  which  he  repre- 
sents. 


XVII. 
THK  GREAT  COMMISSION. 

"go  YK  THKRKFORK,  and  TE:ACH  A.1X,  NA- 
TIONS, BAPTIZING  THKM  IN  THK  NAMK  OP 
THK  FATHER,  AND  OF  THK  SON,  AND  OF 
THF  HOI.Y  GHOST  :  TFACHING  THKM  TO 
OBSKRVK  AI,I,  THINGS  WHATSOKVFR  I 
HAVK  COMMANDED  YOU  :  AND  I,0,  I  AM 
WITH  YOU  AIRWAY,  KVFN  UNTO  THK  KND 
OF  THK  WORIvD.  AMKN."  S.  Matt.  XXvUi., 
19,  20. 

WK  have  considered  the  circumstances  ot 
our  Lord's  regal  manifestation  of  Him- 
self upon  the  mountain  in  Galilee,  and 
His  revelation  that  all  authority  had  been  com- 
mitted to  Him.  We  must  now  pass  on  to  discuss 
more  in  detail  the  terms  of  the  great  commission 
which  He  gave  to  His  Apostles  after  declaring 
His  possession  of  universal  authority. 

As  we  examine  the  details  of  His  charge  we  can 
scarcely  fail  to  be  impressed  with  the  fact  that  it 
seems  so  fully  to  meet  the  difficulties  and  needs 

224 


The  Great  Commissioyi.  225 

of  the  present  da)^  that  it  would  appear  as  though 
it  had  been  written  especially  for  our  instruction. 

When  we  reflect  on  this,  however,  it  brings 
home  to  us  the  useful  conviction  that  our  age  is 
very  much  like  other  ages  ;  and  that  the  reason 
why  these  words  seem  so  appropriate  to  our  own 
needs  is  that  our  L<ord  knew  the  needs  of  human- 
ity and  in  these  words  provided  for  them,  and 
that  humanity  is  alwaj^s  very  much  the  same. 

When  we  think  we  have  observed  features  pe- 
culiar to  our  own  times,  whether  they  be  adverse 
or  favourable  to  the  growth  of  Christianity,  we 
probably  think  them  peculiar  only  because  we  do 
not  know  accurately  the  experience  of  other 
ages. 

We  may  comfort  ourselves  sometimes  with  the 
thought  that  each  age  has  seemed  to  those  who 
lived  in  it  especially  full  of  difficult}^,  and  that 
our  Lord,  knowing  the  needs  of  all  ages,  has 
provided  for  each  its  remedy. 

I.  After  claiming  for  Himself  all  authority  in 
Heaven  and  earth,  our  Lord  gives  a  great  com- 
mission founded  on  this  authority.  He  says, 
"Go  ye  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations."  We 
may  observe  that  the  word  translated  "teach" 
is,  in  the  original,  "make  disciples  of"  all  na- 
tions, that  is,  bring  them  into  the  Christian  fold. 

Our  Lord  then  goes  on  to  point  out  the  means 

by  which  this  end  is  to  be  attained  ;  in  order  to 
15 


226  Eastertide  Addresses. 

become  His  disciples  men  must  be  baptized  ' '  into 
the  Name  of  the  Fathkr,  and  of  the  Son,  and 
of  the  HoivY  Ghost." 

We  have  teachers  of  a  spurious  Christianity  in 
our  own  day  who  tell  us  that  men  become  the  dis- 
ciples of  Christ  by  reading  about  Him,  and 
striving  to  frame  their  lives  to  some  extent  upon 
the  moral  code  which  He  set  forth. 

These  men  tell  us  that  it  is  not  necessary  to 
believe  in  the  tremendous  claims  which  Christ 
makes  upon  the  human  soul  when  He  reveals 
Himself  as  the  Possessor  of  all  power  and  author- 
ity because  He  is  God  ;  nor  do  they  consider  it 
important  that  all  His  teachings  should  be  ac- 
cepted and  obeyed. 

The)^  would  allow  admirers  of  Christ  to  choose 
out  of  His  precepts  those  which  commend  them- 
selves to  their  judgment,  or  which  do  not  inter- 
fere too  much  with  their  self-indulgence.  In  a 
word,  they  would  allow  the  claims  of  Christ  to 
be  reduced  and  minimized  until  they  cease  to 
clash  with  the  easy-going  Christianity  of  the 
present  day. 

The  remedy  for  such  teaching  is  provided  in 
the  words  of  our  Lord,  '*  baptizing  them."  Men 
do  not  become  Christians  by  adrniring  Christ, 
but  by  being  incorporated  into  His  Body  by  Bap- 
tism. So  that  at  the  very  outset  of  the  Church's 
life  our  Lord  makes  the  Sacraments  the  condi- 


TJie  Great  Commission.  227 

tion  of  reception  into  that  society  of  believers 
which  we  call  Christians. 

II.  Again,  we  hear  a  great  deal  in  the  present 
day  about  the  beauty  of  "undenominational" 
Christianity.  And  man}'-  a  scheme  has  been  pro- 
posed for  Christian  unity  which  would  eliminate 
from  Christianity  all  that  is  objected  to  by  this  or 
that  sect,  and  take  the  little  that  is  left  as  a  com- 
mon basis  of  union. 

But  it  will  be  observed  that  our  Lord's  charge 
is  singularly  "  denominational,"  for  He  distinctly 
says  they  are  to  be  baptized  ''into  the  Name'' 
It  is  difficult  to  see  how  undenominational  Chris- 
tians, as  they  call  themselves,  can  find  much 
comfort  in  this  text. 

But  we  may  go  further,  and  ask,  what  is  meant 
by  "  the  Name  ' '  ?  There  can  be  little  doubt  that 
in  all  such  passages  as  the  one  we  are  considering, 
"the  Name"  signifies  the  Nature;  and  "the 
Name ' '  here  calls  for  a  belief,  not  merely  in  the 
existence  of  God,  but  in  the  doctrine  of  the  Holy 
Trinity  as  revealing  to  us,  so  far  as  we  are  able 
to  comprehend  it,  something  of  the  Nature  of 
God. 

In  the  history  of  God's  dealings  with  man  we 
find  three  very  distinct  rev^elations  of  Himself  by 
means  of  a  Name  which  reveals  something  of  His 
Nature. 

i.  To  the  Patriarchs  He  was  revealed  under 


L 


228  Eastertide  Addresses. 

His  Name  "Almighty,"  because  they  needed  first 
to  learn  that  He  was  the  Source  of  all  authority 
and  power,  and  that  without  Him  nothing  could 
be  done  ;  the  very  power  by  which  sin  is  com- 
mitted being  received  from  God, — the  sinners  be- 
ing like  rebels,  who  in  their  folly  are  striving  to 
use  God's  own  power  against  Himself;  and  that 
therefore  He  was  a  jealous  God,  Who  would 
share  no  worship  with  other  gods,  and  allow 
no  rival  in  the  affections  and  homage  of  man- 
kind. 

ii.  To  Moses  a  revelation  far  in  advance  of  this 
was  vouchsafed  when  God  appeared  to  him  in  the 
burning  bush,  and  revealed  Himself  to  him  under 
His  Name  Jehovah,  the  Self-Existing  One.  This 
declares  the  Nature  of  God  to  be  underived,  and 
His  existence  in  both  directions  to  be  eternal. 

iii.  But  the  supreme  revelation  of  God's  Na- 
ture was  reserved  for  the  Christian  Church.  For 
while  there  are  many  adumbrations  of  the  Holy 
Trinity  in  the  Old  Testament,  the  doctrine  of  the 
threefold  Personality  of  the  one  Godhead  was 
first  distinctly  revealed  by  Christ,  and  reserved 
for  the  Christian  Church  to  define. 

All  these  revelations  are  to  some  extent  summed 
up  in  the  Baptismal  formula — ''baptizing  them 
into  the  Name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son, 
and  of  the  H01.Y  Ghost." 

**  Into  the  Name,"    not    "Names"    (fz's'   ro 


TJie  Great  Commission.  229 

ovojua^  not  ra  ovojAaTa).  Here  we  have  the 
doctrine  of  the  Unity  of  God  as  revealed  to  the 
Patriarchs  and  to  Moses.  But  the  Name  is  **  the 
Name  of  the  Fathkr,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of 
the  Holy  Ghost. ' '  Here  we  have  the  doctrine  of 
the  Trinity  as  revealed  by  our  I^ord  Himself  to 
the  Christian  Church. 

III.  Without  now  touching  upon  the  doctrine 
of  the  Holy  Trinity  in  its  dogmatic  aspect,  we 
may  briefly  notice  some  points  involved  in  the 
Baptismal  formula. 

i.  As  a  Christian  you  were  baptized  into  the 
Name  of  the  Father. 

You  have  a  relation  to  that  Father,  Who  crea- 
ted you,  Who  has  a  purpose  for  you  in  life  ;  that 
Father  to  Whom  you  stand  in  the  relation  not 
of  a  slave  but  of  a  so7i ;  that  Father  to  glorify 
Whom  is  the  "  end  "  of  j^our  life,  and  at  the  same 
time  your  life's  truest  glory.  For  to  fulfil  God's 
purpose  is  a  glory  which  is  indeed  eternal. 

When  a  man  in  the  world  attains  the  end  he 
proposed  for  himself  he  often  becomes  famous  ; 
but  how  short  is  human  fame,  and  how  worthless 
to  the  man  are  the  monuments  which,  as  works 
of  art  or  historical  records,  speak  to  the  world  of 
his  name  when  he  himself  has  passed  beyond  this 
world  ! 

On  the  other  hand,  to  have  reached  the  end  for 
which  you  were  created,  this  is  truly  glorious  ;  to 


230  Eastertide  Addresses. 

have  fulfilled  God's  purpose  for  you,  this  is  in- 
deed greatness  ! 

And  then  what  a  sonship  is  implied  when  you 
think  of  God  as  your  Father!  A  Father 
omnipotent,  omniscient,  and  all-loving,  implies  a 
son  watched  over  by  Almighty  Power  and  sur- 
rounded by  all  things  needful  for  the  develop- 
ment of  his  life  according  to  God's  purpose. 

ii.  But  Baptism  is  not  onl}^  into  the  Name  of 
the  Father,  but  also  into  the  Name  of  the  Son. 

In  the  present  da}^,  among  Unitarians  and 
Humanitarians  we  hear  a  great  deal  about  the 
Fatherhood  of  God  and  the  brotherhood  of  man  ; 
a  doctrine  which  does  not  necessarily  involve  any 
acceptance  of  the  Christain  Faith,  and  which  is 
but  a  small  advance  upon  the  teachings  of  mere 
natural  theology. 

The  Fatherhood  of  God  and  the  brotherhood 
of  man  may  sound  well  as  religious  phrases,  but 
what  help  do  they  afford  to  the  man  who  has  real- 
ized the  universal  fact  of  sin,  the  universal  neces- 
sity of  struggle,  and  who  sees  in  himself  the 
weakness  and  helplessness  which  these  involve  ? 

He  needs  something  more  than  to  be  taught  his 
relation  to  God  as  a  son  to  a  Father.  He  needs 
to  know  of  the  Son  of  God,  Who  became  Man 
that  He  might  redeem  man  ;  that  He  might  not 
only  leave  man  a  noble  Example  of  unselfish  life, 
but  that  He  might  found  a  Church  which  should 


TJic  Great  Commission,  231 

minister  to  all  man's  needs,  and  be  entrusted  with 
the  Sacraments  by  which  his  sin  could  be  done 
away  through  the  Precious  Blood  of  Christ,  and 
the  cravings  of  his  soul  satisfied  by  that  Bread  of 
Heaven  which  is  Christ's  own  Body. 

iii.  And  again,  Baptism  is  into  the  Name  of  the 
H01.Y  Ghost,  telling  of  that  Eternal  Spirit  of 
God,  hke  the  Father  and  the  Son,  Almighty, 
Whose  gracious  influence  pervades  the  life,  and 
by  its  operation  sanctifies  the  soul  of  the  child  of 
God. 

And  then  to  help  him  there  is  the  revelation  of 
a  communion  of  Saints,  of  a  great  cloud  of  wit- 
nesses who  have  passed  through  the  same  struggle 
and  won  their  crowns,  and  who  are  now  watching 
him,  not  merely  with  idle  curiosity,  but  with 
sympathetic  interest,  and  more,  with  all  the  help- 
fulness that  comes  from  a  common  fellowship  in 
the  Body  of  Christ. 

How  full  of  meaning  then  is  Baptism  into  the 
Name  of  the  Holy  Trinity  !  And,  when  we  real- 
ize this,  how  poor  seems  the  substitute  of  unde- 
nominational Christianity  ! 

IV.  But  not  only  does  our  Lord  in  His  charge 
command  His  Apostles,  for  the  purpose  of  making 
disciples  of  all  nations,  to  baptize  them  into  the 
Name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  ;  but  after  they  are  baptized  He  en- 
joins upon  His  Church  a  further  work ;  for  He 


232  Eastertide  Addresses. 

adds :    "  Teaching  them   to   observe   all  things 
whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you." 

Here  again  our  Lord  seems  to  anticipate  and 
to  provide  the  remedy  for  the  false  teaching  of  to- 
day. For  there  are  some  who,  while  accepting 
Baptism  as  a  mere  empty  form  of  admission  into 
the  Christian  Church,  tell  us  that  what  we  want 
in  the  present  day  is  not  Creeds,  not  teaching, 
but  good  works,  practical  philanthropy. 

Our  I^ORD  said  nothing  about  this,  except  in  so 
far  as  the  corporal  works  of  mercy  are  included 
in  the  things  which  He  has  commanded.  He 
says  the  Church  is  to  teach  all  things  which  He 
has  commanded  ;  and  this  charge  is  given  to  the 
Church  of  every  age. 

One  of  the  most  striking  contrasts  between  the 
Church  and  the  various  systems  of  philosophy 
which  have  sprung  up  during  her  existence  is 
that  they  are  always  changing  in  their  doctrines, 
while  she  is  always   the  same. 

The  Church's  doctrine,  like  her  I^ORD,  is  "  the 
same,  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever."  We  can- 
not point  out  one  doctrine  of  the  Christian  religion 
taught  by  the  Church  in  any  age,  which  is  not  of 
obligation  now. 

Or  if  we  turn  from  the  sphere  of  dogma  to  that 
of  morals,  we  cannot  find  one  thing  which  our 
Lord  said  was  right  in  His  day,  or  which  the 
Church  has  at  any  time  set  forth  as  a  Chris- 


The  Great  Commission.  233 

tian  man's  duty,  which  can  ever  cease  to  be 
right. 

There  is  a  great  effort  in  our  day  to  reconstruct 
both  the  theology  and  the  morals  of  the  Church,  to 
*  *  re-state ' '  the  theology  of  the  Church  in  terms 
which  will  be  acceptable  to  the  thought  of  the 
nineteenth  century.  This  is  generally  only  a 
euphemism  for  watering  down  the  absolute  truth 
which  our  Lord  revealed,  to  suit  the  rationalism 
and  unbelief  of  the  age  ;  it  means  the  re-stating  of 
revealed  truth  in  terms  so  vague  that  it  will  not 
offend  the  prejudices  of  the  heretic,  schismatic, 
or  rationalist. 

The  moral  law  of  the  Church  is  similarly  dealt 
with  ;  for  when  it  comes  into  direct  conflict  with 
the  low  morals  of  society,  the  plain  teachings  of 
the  Church  are  often  given  up,  or  at  least  kept  in 
the  background,  lest  they  should  offend  the  no- 
torious evil  livers  who  have  broken  God's  law  but 
are  still  received  as  society's  favourites. 

How  wonderful  to  think  that  with  all  the  pro- 
gress of  civilization,  and  with  all  the  changes 
which  have  taken  place  since  our  Lord's  time, 
not  one  precept  of  His,  whether  in  dogma  or  in 
morals,  has  become  obsolete  or  has  lost  its  prac- 
tical value  !  The  Church  is  still  to  teach  all  things 
which  Christ  commanded. 

V.  "And,  lo,  I  am  with  5'ou  alway,  even  tmto 
the  end  of  the  world. ' '     So  the  great  commission 


234  Eastertide  Addresses. 

ends.  Not  only  does  our  Lord  claim  all  author- 
ity in  Heaven  and  earth  as  His,  not  only  does 
He  bestow  upon  the  Apostolic  Ministry  all  neces- 
sary authority,  but  more  still :  He  says,  *'  I  am 
with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world." 

The  Gospel  of  S.  Matthew  begins  and  ends 
with  the  mystery  of  His  name  Emmanuel.  In  the 
first  chapter  we  have  the  prophecy  of  Isaiah  : 
"Behold,  a  virgin  shall  be  with  child,  and  shall 
bring  forth  a  Son,  and  they  shall  call  His  name 
Emmanuel,  which  being  interpreted  is,  God  with 
us  "  (S.  Matt,  i.,  23).  And  the  last  words  of  the 
last  chapter  are  these  :  "  Lo:  I  am  with  you  alway, 
even  unto  the  end  of  the  world."  We  might  call 
S.  Matthew's  Gospel  the  Gospel  of  the  Presence 
of  God. 

In  the  Greek  the  expression  translated  * '  al- 
way "  is  "all  the  days"  ;  that  is,  all  the  ap- 
pointed days.  This,  too,  is  a  consolation  to  the 
Church,  that  nothing  happens  to  her  without  her 
Lord's  appointment. 

Some  days  are  so  dark  that  we  are  inclined  al- 
most to  despair  ;  others  are  so  bright  and  full  of 
hope  that  the  conversion  of  the  world  seems  almost 
in  sight ;  some  so  difficult,  when  the  powers  of  the 
world  array  themselves  against  the  Church  from 
without,  or  heresy,  like  a  canker,  eats  into  the 
Church's  life  from  within  ;  some  so  easy,  with 
the  easiness   of  lukewarmness   and  sloth,  when 


The  Great  Commission.  235 

the  world  seems  too  indifferent  even  to  oppose 
the  Church,  and  too  indifferent  to  support  it, 
when  love  seems  to  have  grown  cold. 

Yet  all  these  are  the  appointed  days  ;  all  these 
troubles  were  foreseen  by  our  I^ord,  and  through 
them  all  He  is  present.  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  all  the 
appointed  days,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world." 

This  is  the  Church's  strength  in  her  battle  with 
evil ;  this  is  the  Church's  consolation  in  all  her 
discouragements ;  this  is  the  Church's  power  in 
all  her  work  for  souls,  that  not  only  does  she 
come  forth  in  her  Lord's  Name  and  with  His 
commission  Who  has  all  power  and  authority,  but 
that  He  comes  forth  with  her  and  in  her ;  that 
her  work  is  all  His  ;  and  that  He  is  with  her  un- 
til the  end  of  the  world. 

Hereafter  it  will  be  the  fulness  of  her  joy,  that 
she  will  be  with  Him  through  all  the  ages  of  eter- 
nity. For  this  she  suffers  and  toils  now  in  order 
to  prepare  herself  "  as  a  bride  adorned  for  her  hus- 
band." For  this  she  works  and  prays  in  order  to 
prepare  herself  for  the  great  fruition  of  Heaven. 

Here,  toil  and  sorrow,  pain  and  tears  ;  and  yet 
her  Lord  is  with  her  through  it  all.  There, 
"  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes  ; 
and  there  shall  be  no  more  death,  neither  sorrow, 
nor  crying,  neither  shall  there  be  any  more  pain  ; 
for  the  former  things  are  passed  away ' '  (Rev. 
xxi.,  4). 


XVIII. 
THE  PASTORAL  COMMISSION. 

**JKSUS    SAITH    TO   SIMON    PE:TKR,     SIMON,    SON 

OF  JONAS,   IvOve:st  thou  mk  mork  than 

THKSE  ?  HE  SAITH  UNTO  HIM,  YEA,  I,ORD  ; 
THOU  KNOWEST  THAT  I  I.OVE  THEE.  HE 
SAITH     UNTO    HIM,    FEED    MY    EAMBS." 

S.  JoJui  xxi. ,  Z5'. 

THERE  are  few  scenes  in  the  Gospel  more 
pathetic  than  that  on  which  we  are  now  to 
meditate  :  the  restoration  of  S.  Peter  to  his 
place  in  the  Apostolic  College,  and  the  bestowal 
upon  him  of  the  Pastoral  Commission,  after  those 
searching  questions  which  must  so  bitterlj^  have 
brought  home  to  him  his  weakness. 

The  miraculous  draught  of  fishes  had  been 
brought  ashore  ;  the  m3^sterious  meal  had  been 
eaten.  Our  Eord  sa3^s  to  S.  Peter,  ''Simon,  son 
of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  Me  more  than  these  ?  " 

I.  These  words  must  have  recalled  to  S.  Peter's 
mind,  if  not  at  the  moment,  at  least  in  after  time, 
the  two  great  crises  in  his  spiritual  life, — his  first 
meeting  with  our  Blessed  Lord,  and  his  great 

236 


The  Pastoral  Commission .  237 

confession  of  our  lyORD's  Godhead.  On  each 
occasion  our  lyORD  had  addressed  him  by  this  title, 
**  Simon,  son  of  Jonas." 

We  shall  better  understand  the  force  of  our 
lyORD's  questions  if  we  give  a  few  minutes  to  the 
consideration  of  the  two  great  events  of  S.  Peter's 
life  to  which  we  have  referred. 

i.  In  the  first  chapter  of  S.  John's  Gospel,  S. 
Peter's  first  meeting  with  Christ  is  described  in 
these  words  :  "  And  he  [S.  Andrew]  brought  him 
to  Jesus.  And  when  Jksus  beheld  him.  He  said, 
Thou  art  Simon,  the  son  of  Jona  :  thou  shalt  be 
called  Cephas,  which  is  by  interpretation,  A 
stone  "  (S.  John  i.,  42). 

S.  Peter  and  his  brother  seem  to  have  been 
among  that  school  which  gathered  round  S.  John 
the  Baptist,  and  who  were  waiting  in  expectation 
of  the  appearance  of  the  Messiah.  The  first  to 
follow  our  I^ORD  had  been  S.  Andrew  and  S.  John. 
Bach  of  them  went  in  quest  of  his  brother  to  bring 
him  to  Christ  ;  and  in  the  verse  which  we  have 
quoted,  there  is  brought  before  us  most  vividly 
the  meeting  beween  S.  Peter  and  our  I^ord. 

I^et  us  try  to  imagine  S.  Peter's  thoughts  when 
his  brother  came  to  him  and  said,  "We  have 
found  the  Messias,"  and  then  proposed  to  take 
him  to  Christ.  If  we  realize  at  all  Avho  it  was 
that  S.  Peter  expected  to  see — not  merely  a  great 
man,  but  the  long-looked- for  Messiah  of  the  Jew- 


238  Eastertide  Addresses. 

ish  nation — we  shall,  perhaps,  be  better  able  to 
enter  into  his  thoughts  as  he  followed  his  brother 
on  the  way  to  our  I^ord. 

S.  Peter  may  have  turned  over  in  his  mind  some 
such  thoughts  as  these  :  "  What  will  He  be  like? 
What  will  He  say  to  me  ?  Shall  I  feel  that  He  is 
different  from  other  men  ?  What  shall  I  say  to 
Him?" 

He  came  into  our  I^ord's  Presence,  and  we  are 
told  that  JKSUS  '*  beheld  him."  But  these  words 
very  inadequately  convey  the  idea  of  the  original 
word  {efjLjSXeipag)^  which  signifies  that  our  I^ord's 
glance  was  so  piercing  that  it  looked  him  through 
and  through,  and  read  his  very  soul. 

And  then,  when  our  lyORD  seemed  to  S.  Peter 
to»  have  read  the  very  thoughts  of  his  heart, 
He  uttered  the  prophecy,  "Thou  art  Simon  the 
son  of  Jona :  thou  shalt  be  called  Cephas." 
"Thou  art  by  nature  weak  and  wayward,  san- 
guine and  impulsive  ;  full  of  generous  purposes, 
ending  too  often  in  humiliating  failures.  Thou 
art  capable  of  being  attracted  to  noble  ideals,  but 
easily  diverted  from  their  pursuit.  Thou  hast  at 
times  great  courage,  but  thou  art  capable  of  acts 
of  shameful  cowardice.  This  is  what  thou  art, 
Simon  son  of  Jona  ;  this  is  what  thou  art  by  na- 
ture ;  but  thou  mayest  become  a  Cephas,  a  rock  ; 
all  that  is  noble  in  thy  character  realized,  all  that 
is  weak  overcome. ' ' 


TJie  Pastoral  Commission.  239 

We  can  picture  S.  Peter  leaving  our  lyORD 
with  these  words  ringing  in  his  ears,  with 
the  remembrance  of  that  look.  "  He  seemed  to 
know  me  thoroughly  ;  no  one  ever  looked  into 
my  innermost  soul,  and  read  me  through  and 
through  as  He  did.  I  feel  that  He  knew  me  as  I 
am ;  that  He  saw  all  my  weakness  ;  but  He  said 
that  I  should  be  called — that  I  should  become,  a 
rock.  And  I  believe  His  words  ;  I  will  become  a 
rock  ;  I  will  conquer  myself !  " 

And  then  in  the  story  of  his  life  we  read  of  the 
process  by  which  he  became  the  rock  ;  how  S. 
Peter  came  to  know  himself — his  weakness,  his 
dangers — by  temptation  and  trial;  and  not  by  temp- 
tation only,  but  by  many  a  fall,  many  a  rebuke. 
And  then,  side  by  side  with  it  all  was  that  wonc^er- 
ful  teaching  which  he  drank  in  from  our  Lord's 
lips  day  by  da}^,  and  which  was  to  S.  Peter  the 
illuminative  way,  as  his  temptations  were  the  pur- 
gative way,  by  which  he  progressed  in  holiness. 

ii.  Then  there  came  the  second  great  crisis  in  S. 
Peter's  life,  when  Jksus  again  addressed  him  by 
the  title  "Simon  Bar-Jona,"  and  when  S.  Peter 
made  the  glorious  confession  of  our  Lord's  God- 
head :  "  Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  Liv- 
ing God.  And  Jksus  answered  and  said  unto 
him,  Blessed  art  thou,  Simon  Bar-jona  :  for  flesh 
and  blood  hath  not  revealed  it  unto  thee,  but  My 
Fathkr  Which  is  in  Heaven.     And  I  say  also 


240  Eastertide  Addresses. 

unto  thee,  That  thou  art  Peter,  and  upon  this  rock 
I  will  build  My  Church  ;  and  the  gates  of  hell 
shall  not  prevail  against  it "  (S.  Matt,  xvi.,  16-18). 

But  this  promise  was  followed  by  more  trials, 
more  failures  ;  for  when  our  lyORD  went  on  to  speak 
of  His  approaching  Passion,  S.  Peter  "began  to 
rebuke  Him,  saying,  Be  it  far  from  Thee,  Lord  : 
this  shall  not  be  unto  Thee.  But  He  turned,  and 
said  unto  Peter,  Get  thee  behind  Me,  Satan  :  thou 
art  an  offence  unto  Me  :  for  thou  savourest  not 
the  things  that  be  of  God,  but  those  that  be  of 
men"  (S.  Matt,  xvi.,  22,  23). 

Afterwards  there  came  S.  Peter's  supreme  trial, 
about  which  he  had  been  warned  by  our  Lord, 
when  "  Jksus  answered  him.  Wilt  thou  lay  down 
thy  life  for  My  sake  ?  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
thee.  The  cock  shall  not  crow,  till  thou  hast  de- 
nied Me  thrice"  (S.  John  xiii.,  38).  But  in 
spite  of  the  warning  he  fell  and  fell  grievously. 

Then,  broken-hearted  and  repentant,  he  had 
been  assured  of  forgiveness  on  Easter  Da}',  when 
the  Lord  newly  arisen  **  appeared  unto  Simon." 

II.  And  now  he  was  to  receive  the  Pastoral  Com- 
mission. But  first  there  came  those  searching 
questions,  which  were  answered  so  humbly,  and 
yet  so  earnestly. 

i.  "  Simon,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  Me  more 
than  these?"  S.  Peter  had  said,  "Though  all 
men  shall  be  offended  because  of  Thee,  yet  will  I 


TJie  Pastoral  Commission.  241 

never  be  oifended  "  (S.  Matt,  xxvi.,  33).  In  his 
self-confidence  he  had  put  himself  before  all  ;  and 
with  the  memory  of  his  denial  upon  him  that  self- 
confidence  is  again  tested  b)^  our  lyORD  :  ' '  lyovest 
thou  Me  more  than  these  ?  " 

S.  Peter  replies,  "Lord,  Thou  knowest  that  I 
love  Thee."  But  he  does  not  venture  to  say  that 
he  loves  our  Lord  more  than  the  others  ;  he  has 
learnt  that  lesson. 

Nor  does  he  use  the  same  word  for  ' '  love  '  * 
which  our  Lord  uses.  He  is  sure  of  his  own 
personal  affection  for  our  Lord,  and  so  he  uses 
a  word  {qjiXelv')  which  signifies  this.  Our  Lord 
had  used  a  word  {ayaTtdv)  which  implied  a  love 
more  exalted  than  S.  Peter  dared  to  claim.  But 
his  answer  is  true  ;  and  so  he  is  rewarded  with 
the  commission,  "Feed  My  lambs." 

ii.  As  we  read  this  passage  carefully,  we  ob- 
serve certain  changes  in  the  words  of  the  original 
which  are  not  adequately  represented  in  the  au- 
thorized version  of  our  Bible. 

Not  only  do  we  observe  that  the  word  for 
"love"  in  our  Lord's  question  and  S.  Peter's 
answer  is  different,  but  that  when  our  Lord  asks 
the  question  for  the  third  time,  He  adopts  S. 
Peter's  word  for  "love"  (qjiXeiv),  as  though  He 
were  even  calling  in  question  S.  Peter's  protesta- 
tion of  personal  afiection. 

And  this  it  is  which  seems  to  touch  S.  Peter 
16 


242  Eastertide  Addresses. 

to  the  quick  and  wring  from  him  that  last  answer, 
so  free  from  self-confidence  and  yet  so  intensely- 
earnest,  "  lyORD,  Thou  knowest  all  things  " — all 
my  weakness,  all  my  sin,  but — "Thou  knowest 
that  I  love  Thee." 

Again,  in  the  second  charge,  we  must  observe 
a  difference  unnoticed  in  our  translation.  It  is 
not  really  ' '  Feed  My  sheep, ' '  as  our  version  has  it, 
but  "  Rule, "or  "Shepherd  My  sheep"  {noijxaivi)'^ 
so  that  the  threefold  charge  should  really  be  as 
follows  :  "  Feed  My  lambs,"  "  Shepherd  (or  rule) 
My  sheep,"  and  "  Feed  My  sheep." 

III.  While  this  Pastoral  Commission  applies,  of 
course,  in  its  first  and  fullest  sense  to  the  Apostles 
and  their  successors,  the  Bishops  of  the  Church  ; 
yet  in  a  very  real  sense  it  seems  to  set  forth  the 
functions  of  every  parish  Priest, — functions  which, 
alas,  are  sadly  neglected  in  our  own  day. 

i.  First,  he  is  to  feed  the  "lambs."  Here  we 
have  brought  before  us  a  Priest's  work  with  the 
young  of  his  flock  ;  the  work  of  preparing  them, 
let  us  say,  for  Confirmation  and  first  Communion, 
the  feeding  them  with  the  first  elements  of  religious 
knowledge  and  with  the  first  Sacraments.  This 
duty  most  of  the  Clergy  recognize  and  strive  to 
fulfil.  But  alas  !  so  many  are  content  to  stop 
here,  and  spend  all  their  time  and  strength  in 
feeding  their  flock  with  what  S.  Paul  would  call 
"milk  for  babes." 


The  Pastoral  Cominission.  243 

ii.  The  second  pastoral  commission  implies 
that  there  is  another  work  for  the  Priest  to  do, — 
to  guide,  shepherd,  or  rule  not  the  lambs  but  the 
"sheep."  Here  we  have  his  office  as  a  director 
of  souls,  an  office  sadly  overlooked  in  the  imme- 
diate past.  Even  to-day  it  is  not  fully  realized 
that  the  Priest  is  a  physician  of  souls,  a  guide,  a 
shepherd  ;  and  that  there  are  difficulties  and  dan- 
gers, weaknesses  and  diseases  in  the  soul's  life, 
with  which  it  is  his  duty  as  one  who  has  "  the 
cure  of  souls  "  to  deal. 

iii.  But  there  is  yet  a  third  charge,  "Feed  My 
sheep."  This  is  a  stage  higher  still,  and  one  still 
more  often  forgotten  in  the  ministrations  of  to-day. 
Not  only  is  the  faithful  pastor  to  feed  the  lambs 
with  the  elements  of  religious  instruction  and  the 
first  Sacraments  of  the  Church,  and  to  guide  and 
shepherd  the  sheep  generally,  but  he  is  to  remem- 
ber that  as  souls  progress  in  the  spiritual  life  they 
need  feeding  with  different  food  from  that  which 
was  sufficient  for  them  in  the  earlier  stages  of 
their  progress. 

So  the  last  charge  is  that  he  should  y"^^^  the 
sheep,  the  grown  members  of  Christ's  Body, 
those  who  are  hungering  and  thirsting  after 
righteousness,  hungering  and  thirsting  to  know 
more  of  God  and  His  Revelation  to  man.  And 
the  Priest  has  to  meet  the  needs  of  these  by  in- 
structions in  the  higher  walks  of  the  spiritual  life, 


244  Eastertide  Addresses. 

in  what  is  commonly  called  "  ascetic  theology," 
which  really  means  the  practical  application  of 
the  laws  of  the  spiritual  life. 

Is  not  this  the  reason  wh}^  so  many  who  have 
begun  well  in  spiritual  things  fall  away  and  give 
up  the  struggle?  They  have  reached  a  certain 
point ;  they  cannot  stand  still ;  they  do  not  know 
how  to  go  forward,  for  they  have  not  been  taught 
what  is  that  life  of  perfection  to  which  they  are 
called  ;  and  so  they  gradually  relax  their  efforts 
and  become  worldly. 

To  those  who  realize  that  our  I^ord  has  said, 
"Be  ye  perfect,  even  as  your  Father  Which  is 
in  Heaven  is  perfect, ' '  and  who  are  taught  what 
this  life  of  perfection  is,  and  what  is  its  food, 
there  can  be  no  loss  of  interest  in  spiritual  things  ; 
for  each  day  has  its  own  interest  in  the  effort  to 
become  a  little  more  perfect  than  the  day  be- 
fore. 

Without  this  desire  for  perfection,  our  spiritual 
life  soon  becomes  a  mere  treadmill,  a  dull  routine 
of  duties  in  which  we  have  lost  all  interest ;  but 
with  the  hunger  and  thirst  for  perfection,  one's 
spiritual  life  is  a  life  of  the  most  intense  interest, 
for  it  is  a  life  of  continual  progress,  a  press- 
ing towards  the  mark  for  the  prize,  as  S.  Paul 
says,  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ 
Jksus. 

But  this  highest  stage  has  its  own  peculiar  food, 


The  Pastoral  Coimnissioii.  245 

not  only  sacramental  but  intellectual.  There  is 
much  to  be  learned  about  the  higher  stages  of  the 
spiritual  life  ; — and  how  shall  they  learn  without 
a  teacher  ? 

IV.  From  our  Lord's  third  charge,  "  Feed  My 
sheep,"  we  may,  perhaps,  draw  a  beautiful  les- 
son, though  one  which  is  not  likely  to  be  often 
noticed,  since  it  depends  upon  a  reading  of  the 
Greek  text.  The  best  manuscripts  use  two  differ- 
ent words  for  "  sheep"  in  the  last  two  charges.* 
In  the  second  charge  it  is  the  ordinary  word 
(TtpojSara),  but  in  the  third  charge  it  is  the 
diminutive  form  (npolSaria)^  and  this  diminutive 
may  be  considered  a  term  of  endearment. 

If  we  take  this  view  of  it,  we  find  among  the 
great  class  of  grown-up  Christians,  who  are  in- 
cluded under  the  general  term  **  sheep,"  some 
few,  perhaps,  who  on  account  of  their  special 
sanctity  are  peculiarly  dear  to  our  Lord,  and  are 
called  to  the  highest  vocations  of  Christian  life, 
perhaps  to  that  which  is  technically  known  as  the 
Religious  Life. 

In  every  large  parish  there  would  probably  be 

*  In  the  second  charge  BC  and  some  old  copies  read 
Ttpoftdria,  but  i^ADX  and  most  copies  have  Ttpoftara, 
and  Ttpoftdria  is  evidently  imported  from  the  third  charge, 
where  it  seems  to  be  the  true  reading,  being  supported 
by  ABC  and  being  a  form  of  tender  endearment  which 
goes  well  with  (i66KE. 


246  Eastertide  Addresses. 

at  least  a  few  such,  and  it  is  a  parish  Priest's  duty, 
as  well  as  privilege,  to  strive  to  feed  these ;  not  to 
discourage  their  aspirations,  not  to  blunt  their 
spiritual  instincts,  but  rather  to  supply  them  with 
that  food  which  may  help  them  to  develop  what 
may  be  an  incipient  vocation  into  the  higher  dedi- 
cation of  themselves  as  "religious"  to  God's 
service. 

All  these  things  seem  to  be  suggested  by  the 
wording  of  our  Lord's  three  charges  to  S.  Peter. 
All  these,  surely,  are  included  in  the  pastoral 
commission  given  to  every  Priest.  If  only  our 
lyORD's  teaching  were  more  realized  by  the  Clerg}^ 
how  different  would  be  the  life  of  most  parishes  ! 
How  often  the  noblest  souls  turn  away  from  holy 
things  and  go  back  to  the  world,  because  what  is 
given  them  does  not  satisfy  their  spiritual  crav- 
ings ! 

It  is  of  the  greatest  importance  to  realize  that 
all  souls  are  not  exactly  alike,  and  that  the  pastor 
who  endeavours  to  feed  all  with  the  same  meat 
must  inevitably  be  either  starving  some  souls  or 
giving  to  others  food  which  they  have  not  the 
power  to  assimilate. 

And  those  who  feel  dissatisfied  with  their  spirit- 
ual state,  who  are  becoming  worried,  perhaps,  with 
the  monotony  of  religious  duties,  would  do  well 
to  remember  that  this  very  restlessness  sometimes 
indicates  that  they  are  called  to  higher  things. 


The  Pastoral  Commission,  247 

They  should  consider,  therefore,  not  merely  how 
they  can  hold  their  present  ground,  but  in  what 
way  they  can  take  a  step  forward  in  the  spiritual 
life, — in  what  waj^  they  can  surrender  themselves 
more  entirely  to  God  and  His  service. 


XIX. 

ACTIVE  AND  CONTBMPI.ATIVE  LIFE  IN 
THE  CHURCH  OF  CHRIST. 

"  VKRII.Y,  VKRILY,  I  SAY  UNTO  THKI5,  WHEN  THOU 
WAST  YOUNG,  THOU  GIRDEDST  THYSKI.F, 
AND  WAIvKKDST  WHITHKR  THOU  \VOUI.DKST  : 
BUT  WHKN  THOU  SHAI.T  BK  OI.D,  THOU  SHAI^T 
STRETCH  FORTH  THY  HANDS  AND  ANOTHER 
SHAI.I.  GIRD  THEE,  AND  CARRY  THEE 
WHITHER  THOU  WOUI.DEST  NOT.  THIS 
SPAKE  HE,  SIGNIFYING  BY  WHAT  DEATH  HE 
SHOUI.D  GI.ORIFY  GOD.  AND  WHEN  HE  HAD 
SPOKEN  THIS,  HE  SAITH  UNTO  HIM,  FOI.I.OW 
ME.  THEN  PETER,  TURNING  ABOUT,  SEETH 
THE  DISCIPI.E  V/HOM  JESUS  I.OVED  FOIyl^OW- 
ING  ;  WHICH  AI^O  IvEANED  ON  HIS  BREAST 
AT  SUPPER,  AND  SAID,  LORD,  WHICH  IS  HE 
THAT  BETRAYETH  THEE  ?  PETER  SEEING 
HIM  SAITH  TO  JESUS,  lyORD,  AND  WHAT 
SHAI^Iv  THIS  MAN  DO  ?  JESUS  SAITH  UNTO 
HIM,  IF  I  WHvL  THAT  HE  TARRY  TlI,Iy  I  COME, 
WHAT    IS    THAT    TO    THEE  ?    FOIyl^OW    THOU 

ME."     S.  John  xxi.,  18-22, 

248 


Active  and  Contemplative  Life.  249 

IN  the  last  words  of  his  Gospel  S.  John  brings 
before  us  in  striking  contrast  the  two  types 
of  life  and  work  which  are  to  be  found  in  the 
Church  at  all  times,  and  which  are  always  neces- 
sary for  the  Church's  growth  and  usefulness  in  the 
world — the  active  life  and  the  contemplative  ;  the 
one  characteristic  of  S.  Peter  and  those  heroes 
of  the  Cross  who,  by  their  self-sacrificing  toil, 
have  planted  Christianity  all  over  the  world  ;  the 
other  exemplified  by  S.  John  in  his  patient  self- 
effacement,  and  by  those  who,  like  him,  have  been 
called  to  the  life  of  thought  rather  than  to  that  of 
active  work. 

The  one  has  produced  the  Church  as  a  visible 
organization  ;  has  built  up,  as  it  were,  the  fabric. 
The  other  has  inspired  it  with  life,  and  supplied 
it  with  that  spiritual  teaching  by  which  its  life  is 
sustained  and  guided. 

Those  who  are  called  to  the  sphere  of  active 
labour  in  the  Church  of  Christ,  like  S.  Peter, 
have  to  toil  often  under  great  disadvantages  and 
in  the  face  of  the  strongest  opposition,  in  order  to 
lav  the  foundations  and  to  build  the  superstruct- 
ure of  Christ's  Church  all  over  the  world. 

But,  (if  we  may  use  as  an  illustration  the  mate- 
rial fabric  in  which  we  worship,)  although  the 
building  may  be  most  substantial  in  structure 
and  most  beautiful  in  style  of  architecture,  and 
though  it  may  be  supplied  with  all  the  accessories 


250  Eastertide  Addresses. 

of  public  worship — yet  unless  the  Spirit  of  lyife 
be  there,  unless  the  teaching  from  the  pulpit  be 
the  truth  as  it  is  in  JKSUS,  and  the  offering  of  the 
Holy  Sacrifice  the  offering  of  loving  and  penitent 
hearts,  the  beauty  of  the  fabric  will  be  of  little 
avail. 

Nay,  better  would  God  be  worshipped  in  some 
hovel  or  barn  where  Catholic  truth  was  taught 
and  Catholic  worship  offered,  than  in  the  most 
beautiful  Church  in  our  land  where  the  spirit  of 
worldliness  and  pride  prevailed. 

And  this  is  true  of  the  visible  Church  on  earth, 
the  Body  of  Christ.  It  needs  organization,  and 
rules,  and  precepts  ;  but  behind  all  this  it  needs 
a  firm  grasp  of  revealed  truth,  and  the  kindling 
of  that  fire  of  the  love  of  God,  which  is  the  life 
of  grace,  the  life  of  God  Himself  in  the  souls 
which  go  to  make  up  His  Church. 

In  the  last  words  of  S.  John's  Gospel  our 
Blessed  Lord  indicates  the  work  to  which  each  of 
the  two  great  Apostles,  S.  Peter  and  S.  John, 
were  to  be  called,  and  prophesies  to  what  that  work 
would  lead  in  their  individual  lives.  Let  us  briefly 
consider  how  the  work  was  done  and  the  prophecy 
fulfilled. 

I.  We  will  first  take  S.  Peter,  called  by  natural 
character  and  by  his  special  training  to  be  the 
prince  and  leader  of  the  Apostolic  band.  In  him 
we  see  exemplified  the  work  not  only  of  a  great 


Active  and  Contemplative  Life.  251 


missionary,  but  of  a  great  Church  founder  and 
organizer. 

i.  We  must  remember  that  our  Blessed  I^ord 
in  His  lifetime  had  only  formed,  as  it  were,  the 
framework  of  His  Church.  His  mystical  Body 
was  something  like  the  body  of  Adam,  if  we  may 
use  the  illustration,  before  God  breathed  into  it 
the  breath  of  life  and  Adam  became  a  living  soul. 
It  was  not  until  Pentecost,  when  the  HoIvY 
Ghost  was,  so  to  speak,  breathed  into  the  body 
of  the  Church,  that  it  became  that  living  organ- 
ism which  was  to  conquer  the  world  and  to  pre- 
pare men  for  eternity.  And  in  the  first  stages  of 
this  great  work  S.  Peter  is  the  most  prominent  of 
the  Apostles. 

From  the  day  of  Pentecost  until  we  lose  sight 
of  him,  he  is  everywhere  the  spokesman,  the 
leader.  He  it  is  who  meets  and  answers  the 
questions  which  arise  in  the  infant  Church.  His 
activity  is  everywhere  evident.  By  his  training, 
b}'  the  bitter  experience  of  many  a  fall  and  many 
an  act  of  penitence,  he  has  become  the  Rock,  to 
whom  the  others  turn,  on  whom  they  lean. 
Christ  had  praj^ed  for  him  that  when  he  was 
converted  he  might  strengthen  his  brethren.  His 
conversion  is  accomplished,  and  now  we  see  him 
going  out  as  a  glorious  warrior  to  the  fight. 

ii.  Once  only  did  he  err  in  his  judgment  and 
waver  in  his  straightforward  course — by  his  atti- 


252  Eastertide  Addresses. 

tude  towards  the  Gentiles  at  Antioch,  of  which  S. 
Paul  speaks  when  he  tells  us  that  he  withstood  S. 
Peter  "  to  the  face,  because  he  was  to  be  blamed." 

And  how  beautiful  is  this  example  of  S.  Peter's 
humility,  not  only  in  receiving  a  rebuke  from  one 
so  much  younger  than  himself,  but,  as  is  evidently 
implied  in  S.  Paul's  words,  in  having  accepted 
it  and  changed  his  course  of  action, — yet  re- 
maining in  perfect  harmony  with  S.  Paul,  and 
writing  of  him,  as  he  did,  in  words  of  loving 
commendation. 

Yes,  one  of  the  great  lessons  which  S.  Peter's 
life  of  discipline  had  taught  him  was  humility. 
No  one  can  be  a  rock  who  has  not  learned  that 
virtue.  Pride  always  implies  the  probability  of  a 
fall ;  humility,  as  the  word  itself  implies,  cannot 
fall,  because  it  is  the  ground  of  Christian  char- 
acter. 

What  an  active  life  was  S.  Peter's  !  How 
tremendous  was  the  amount  of  work  he  accom- 
plished !  At  Jerusalem,  at  Aiitioch,  probably  at 
Corinth,  certainly  in  Rome,  possibly  in  Babylon, 
the  traces  of  his  labours  are  to  be  found.  He  is 
indeed  the  great  example,  in  Christ's  Church, 
of  the  active  life  needed  then  and  at  all  times  in 
building  up  the  work  of  the  Church  and  carrying 
its  message  to  those  who  otherwise  would  never 
hear  it. 

iii.  Such  was  the  life  of  S.  Peter ;  and  our  Lord 


Active  and  Contemplative  Life.         253 

prophesies  its  end, — martyrdom.  For  He  says  : 
"When  thou  wast  young,  thou  girdedst  thyself, 
and  walkedst  whither  thou  wouldest  ;  but  when 
thou  shalt  be  old,  thou  shalt  stretch  forth  thy 
hands,  and  another  shall  gird  thee,  and  carry  thee 
whither  thou  wouldest  not.  This  spake  He,  sig- 
nifying by  what  death  he  should  glorify  God." 

The  world  against  which  he  witnessed,  whose 
vices  he  rebuked,  whose  opinion  he  defied,  would 
sooner  or  later  wreak  upon  him  its  vengeance. 
He  was  indeed  to  follow  Christ  to  the  very  crown 
of  martyrdom,  and  he  was  to  have  the  great  hon- 
our of  dying,  like  his  Master,  upon  the  cross. 
He  had  learned  by  past  failures  to  count  the  cost. 
He  had  said,  not  in  any  proud  boasting,  but  in 
the  strength  of  deepest  penitence,  "  IvORD,  Thou 
knowest  all  things ;  Thou  knowest  that  I  love 
Thee."  That  love  was  to  send  him  forth  to 
evangelize  the  world  ;  that  love  should  enable 
him  with  joy  to  win  the  martyr's  crown. 

This  much  we  learn  from  our  Lord's  prophecy. 
But  there  is  a  legend  generally  accepted  in  the 
Church,  that  when  the  hour  of  martyrdom  came, 
S.  Peter  in  his  humility  asked,  and  his  prayer 
was  granted,  that  he  might  be  crucified  with 
his  head  downwards,  deeming  himself  unw^orthy 
to  die  like  his  Lord.  Glorious  humility  of  one 
whose  besetting  sin  in  early  life  was  self-confident 
pride  !     Glorious  humility,  the  virtue  of  the  Rock- 


254  Eastertide  Addresses. 

man,  which  lasted  to  the  very  hour  of  his 
death  ! 

II.  And  now  we  must  turn  from  S.  Peter  to  S. 
John.  For  it  is  recorded  that  when  our  Lord 
finished  his  words  to  S.  Peter  with  the  command 
**  Follow  Me,"  "  Peter,  turning  about,  seeth  the 
Disciple  whom  JKSUS  loved  following  ;  which 
also  leaned  on  His  breast  at  supper,  and  said, 
Lord,  which  is  he  that  betrayeth  Thee  ?  Peter 
seeing  him  saith  to  jKSUS,  Lord,  and  what  shall 
this  man  do  ?  jESUS  saith  unto  him,  If  I  will 
that  he  tarry  till  I  come,  what  is  that  to  thee  ? 
follow  thou  Me."  As  S.  Peter  is  the  great  ex- 
ample of  the  life  of  active  work,  so  S.  John  is  the 
great  pattern  of  patient  waiting. 

i.  Moreover,  we  may  observe  that  in  both  Apos- 
tles grace  triumphed  over  mere  temperament. 

S.  John,  the  Apostle  of  Love,  with  his  choleric 
temperament,  his  impetuous  disposition,  we  should 
have  expected  to  have  been  the  example  of  active 
work.  He  was  called  to  discipline  and  restrain 
that  fiery  temperament,  to  hold  himself  back  from 
the  active  work  he  doubtless  longed  to  do,  and  to 
learn  by  patient  waiting  through  long  j^ears  of 
holy  meditation  that  lore  which  was  to  be  the 
Church's  greatest  treasure.  He  was  to  read  and 
interpret  as  none  other  ever  did  that  Life  which 
is  the  life  of  our  life,  the  Life  of  the  Son  of  God 
Incarnate  on  earth. 


Active  and  Contemplative  Life.  255 

S.  Peter,  on  the  other  hand,  with  his  weak, 
impulsive  nature,  was  not  the  temperament  out 
of  which  leaders  of  men  are  usually  made  ;  but 
he,  like  S.  John,"  was  enabled  to  overcome  the 
difficulties  of  temperament  by  grace  and  dis- 
cipline. So  that  in  both  we  learn  how  "God 
hath  chosen  the  weak  things  of  the  world  to  con- 
found the  things  which  are  mighty  .  .  .  that 
no  flesh  should  glory  in  His  presence"  (i  Cor. 
i.,  27,  29). 

ii.  Upon  the  Cross  our  Lord  had  given  to  S. 
John  a  legacy  of  love,  the  exalted  privilege,  the 
supreme  honour  of  being  a  son  to  Christ's  own 
Mother.  S.  John  took  her  to  his  own  house,  and 
from  that  day  forward  cared  for  her. 

There  is  something  pathetic,  and  at  the  same 
time  instructive  in  the  fact  that  one  of  the  leaders 
of  the  Christian  Church,  one  of  her  small  body 
of  athletes  (and  that  one  in  some  respects  among 
the  greatest)  was  withdrawn,  as  it  were,  from 
active  work,  to  watch  over,  to  care  for,  and  so  far 
as  possible  to  comfort  the  Blessed  Virgin.  "  Wo- 
man, behold  thy  son  !  Behold  thy  Mother  !  " 
had  been  our  Lord's  words.  They  were  under- 
stood ;  they  were  obeyed. 

And  so,  S.  John,  in  spite  of  his  impetuous  tem- 
perament, devotes  himself  forthwith  to  a  life  of 
retirement  and  quietness  in  fulfilling  the  duty  of 
caring  for  the  Blessed  Virgin. 


256  Eastertide  Addresses. 

From  this  we  may  learn  one  of  the  lessons  so 
often  taught  in  the  history  of  Christ's  Church, 
that  times  of  enforced  inactivity,  of  patient  wait- 
ing, are  not  wasted,  are  not  lost.  To  the  worldly 
critic  it  might  have  seemed  that  some  one  of  less 
importance  in  the  Church,  with  fewer  gifts,  with 
less  enthusiasm,  with  a  smaller  sphere  of  influ- 
ence, might  have  been  equally  well  selected  to 
care  for  our  Lord's  Mother.     But  it  was  not  so. 

Our  Lord  gave  to  her,  whom  He  loved  so  well. 
His  best, — the  Disciple  whom  He  loved,  the 
Virgin  Apostle,  and  as  such  the  flower  of  the 
Apostolic  College,  the  youngest,  the  fairest,  the 
most  lovable.  And  S.  John,  in  obedience  to  his 
Lord's  words,  turns  away  from  the  career  of 
active  work,  holds  himself  back  from  the  great 
rush  of  Church  life,  and  in  solitude  and  quietness 
fulfils  his  Master's  dying  charge,  and  with  aiFec- 
tionate  and  respectful  sympathy  ministers  to  the 
Virgin  Mother. 

We  do  not  know  how  long  S.  John's  duty  to 
her  lasted,  but  surely  the  effects  of  those  years 
may  be  clearly  traced  in  the  Gospel  of  S.  John, 
that  most  wonderful  of  all  works  ever  written. 
How  much  Mary  could  tell  him  of  JKSUS'  words 
and  acts  !  Her  perfect  sympathy  with  her  Divine 
Son,  her  marvellous  spiritual  insight  into  all  His 
Life, —  are  not  they  revealed  in  the  Gospel  of 
the  Godhead  of  Christ  ?    How  much  S.  John 


Active  a?id  Contemplative  Life.  257 

owed  to  our  Lady  we  can  never  know  in  this 
world  ;  but  we  cannot  doubt  the  greatness  of 
the  debt. 

iii.  And  wdien  the  Blessed  Virgin  died,  and  S. 
John's  duty  was  fulfilled,  then  he  went  on  ponder- 
ing the  teachings  of  his  Master,  and  the  words  of 
His  Mother,  enlightened  by  the  HoivY  Spirit. 
He  learned  to  read  in  that  great  Life  what  is  re- 
vealed to  us  in  his  Gospel  and  Epistles.  His 
preparation  for  this  was  first  the  waiting  at  home 
with  Mary  ;  then  the  martyrdom  in  will  at  the 
Latin  Gate,  when,  as  Tertullian  and  S.  Jerome 
tell  us,  S.  John  was  cast  into  a  caldron  of  boiling 
oil,  though  without  sustaining  injur}'- ;  then,  ap- 
parently, came  the  banishment  to  the  mines  at 
Patraos  ;  and  lastly  old  age  at  Ephesus. 

Through  all  this  long  period  of  waiting,  S. 
John  was  pondering  the  words  of  our  Lord, 
meditating  on  the  events  of  His  Life,  developing 
that  spirit  of  love  which  enabled  him,  in  words 
of  supreme  majesty,  of  marvellous  depth,  and 
3^et  of  great  siraplicit}^,  to  describe  for  us  what, 
with  his  eagle  eye,  he  was  enabled  to  see  in  that 
Life  of  Christ,  the  Life  of  God  Incarnate. 

III.  And  surely  to  S.  John  and  to  those  con- 
templative souls  who,  following  in  his  steps,  have 
given  to  the  Church  her  theology,  we  owe  as  great 
a  debt  as  w^e  owe  to  those  pioneers  of  the  Cross 

who  have  spent  their  lives  in  active  work. 
17 


258  Eastertide  Addresses. 

i.  If  S.  John's  writings  were  removed  from  the 
New  Testament,  the  loss  would  be  so  great  and 
so  apparent  that  this  value  would  be  at  once  ap- 
preciated. 

ii.  And  the  same  debt  is  due,  though,  of  course, 
in  a  far  lesser  degree,  to  manj^  a  soul  (trained  in 
the  school  of  S.  John)  in  some  quiet  monaster}^  far 
away  from  the  busy  haunts  of  men  ; — disciplined 
in  self-restraint,  trained  in  divine  love  to  contem- 
plate the  Revelation  of  God,  the  mysteries  of  the 
divine  world; — who  has  left  to  the  Church  precious 
treasure  in  spiritual  writings,  which  could  never 
have  been  written  except  by  one  who  had  lived 
this  life  of  quietness,  of  waiting,  and  of  con- 
templation. 

Such  works,  for  instance,  among  dogmatic 
theologians,  are  those  of  S.  Thomas  Aquinas ; 
among  ascetic  writers,  the  writings  of  S.  Thomas 
a  Kempis,  Scupoli,  or  Blosius. 

iii.  The  Church  needed  in  her  early  days,  and 
has  needed  ever  since,  the  two  types  of  life  which 
are  found  side  by  side  in  these  last  words  of  S. 
John's  Gospel,  and  which  are  found  side  by  side 
in  every  age  of  the  Church.  They  are  mutually 
complementary ;  they  are  both  necessary  for  the 
spiritual  building  up  and  endowment  of  the 
Church  of  Christ.  And  now^  as  always,  both 
lives  are  needed. 

But  S.  Peter's  life,  the  life  of  active  work,  ap- 


Active  and  Conteviplative  Lift.  259 

peals,  perhaps,  most  strongly  to  the  world  to-day, 
with  its  tremendous  rush,  with  its  laborious  toil, 
with  its  highly  developed  organization,  with  its 
great  practical  schemes  often  ending  in  utter  dis- 
appointment ;  while  the  life  of  S.  John,  the  life  of 
retirement  and  contemplation,  attracts  but  few. 

And  why  is  this  ?  Because  the  world  looks  to 
S.  Peter's  life  alone,  to  the  life  of  activity  ;  and 
forgets  that  behind  that  activity  there  must  be 
the  spiritual  life  that  is  developed  not  in  the  rush, 
not  in  the  struggle,  but  in  the  quiet  contempla- 
tion of  God's  Word,  in  earnest  meditation  and 
prayer. 

This  is  the  spiritual  force  which  alone  can  make 
the  Church's  organization  efficient.  This  is  the 
power  without  which  the  Church's  machinery 
must  be  useless.  The  work,  to-day  as  always, 
must  be  done  first  upon  our  knees  in  prayer  to 
God,  before  we  go  out  to  engage  in  the  battle 
against  sin  and  the  world  and  the  devil. 

Self-will,  self-interest,  pride,  self-assertion,  are 
the  characteristics  of  much  of  the  active  work  of 
to-day.  We  need  humility,  prayer,  a  great  de- 
sire for  God's  glory,  perfect  resignation  to  His 
Will,  the  spirit  of  waiting  rather  than  the  spirit 
of  working,  if  we  are  to  accomplish  great  results 
for  God. 

IV.  What  a  lesson  we  learn  from  the  life  of  S. 
John,  in  his  withdrawal  from  the  struggle  at  the 


26o  Eastertide  Addresses. 

period  of  the  Church's  greatest  need,  to  spend 
his  time  ministering  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  ! 

Thank  God,  there  are  some  waiting  and  think- 
ing and  praying  to-day,  of  whom  the  world  knows 
but  little,  but  for  whom  God  cares  much,  and 
upon  whose  prayers  the  Church's  life  and  work 
largely  depend.  Some,  perhaps,  are  cut  off  from 
active  work  by  sickness  ;  others,  in  obedience  to 
the  call  of  God,  have  deliberately  chosen  the  life 
of  prayer — these  are  the  lights  burning  like  bea- 
cons in  the  storm,  helping  those  who  are  toiling 
and  struggling  upon  the  waves. 

i.  S.  John  was  not  only  a  spiritual  writer  from 
whom  we  learn  much  of  the  laws  of  our  soul's 
life ;  he  was  also  a  great  theologian.  He  is 
called  in  the  East  ''The  Theologian."  Might 
not  theological  writers  to-day  learn  a  lesson, 
useful  not  only  to  them  but  to  the  whole  Church, 
from  a  vStudy  of  S.  John's  life? 

What  is  much  of  the  "  theology  "  of  to-day  but 
crude  views  on  the  most  difficult  subjects,  put 
forth  with  arrogant  self-assertion  !  Nothing  is 
too  sacred  to  be  attacked,  not  even  an  article  of 
the  faith  is  safe  from  assault  ;  and  yet  the  attacks 
are  constantly  failing,  because  it  is  found  that  the 
hastiness  with  Vv^hich  the  opinions  were  formed 
has  again  and  again  led  to  error. 

ii.  Such  writers  should  surely  learn  from  S. 
John's  patient  waiting  and  long  study,  that  what  is 


Active  and  ConteDiplative  Life,  261 

of  value  to  the  Church  must  be  learnt  in  medita- 
tion upon  the  knees,  and  not  merely  by  reading  the 
brilliant  though  irreverent  speculations  of  daring 
and  undisciplined  minds. 

There  are  in  our  day  to  be  studied  not  only 
questions  of  theology,  but  problems  interwoven 
with  the  most  delicate  relations  of  human  life — 
difficulties  in  family  life  and  education,  social  con- 
ditions, and  religious  differences. 

And  perhaps  w^e  may  learn  from  S.  John  that 
what  we  want  to-day  is  not  schemes  for  reunion 
at  the  cost  of  truth  ;  panaceas  for  all  the  difficul- 
ties of  life,  which,  like  narcotics,  simply  drug  for 
a  while  the  sensibilities  of  the  Christian  con- 
science, and  deaden  the  pain  of  the  smarting 
wounds  of  humanity. 

iii.  What  we  want  rather  is  patience  ;  we  need 
to  learn  from  S.  John  to  wait  God's  time,  and  in 
the  period  of  waiting  to  study  our  Lord's  Life 
and  words  and  works,  that  in  the  revelation  of 
the  Incarnation  a  solution  of  the  problems  of 
human  life,  a  remedy  for  its  troubles,  and  the 
supply  of  all  its  needs  may  be  found. 

The  words  of  our  text  seem  to  bring  before  us 
S.  Peter  going  to  martyrdom,  S.  John  longing  for 
it ;  the  one  laying  down  his  life  on  the  Cross,  the 
other  patiently  waiting  till  extreme  old  age,  and, 
in  dying,  leaving  to  the  world  one  of  its  richest 
possessions,  —  his    meditations   on    the   Life   of 


262  Eastertide  Addresses, 

Christ,  his  revelation  of  the  mysteries  of  Heaven, 
— to  be  the  solace  of  countless  weary  souls,  and 
the  inspiration  of  thousands  of  enthusiastic  work- 
ers. Thus  he  teaches  us,  above  all,  the  lesson  so 
needed  in  these  days  of  impatient  haste  :  *  *  Tarry 
thou  the  Lord's  leisure  :  be  strong,  and  He  shall 
comfort  thine  heart ;  and  put  thou  thy  trust  in 
the  Lord." 


XX. 

THE  APPEARANCE  TO  S.   JAMES. 

"aftkr  that,  hk  was  se:e;n  of  james." 

I  Cor.  XV. ,  7. 

THE  appearance  of  our  IvORD  to  S.  James  is 
not  recorded  in  any  of  the  Gospels,  and  is 
mentioned  only  in  S.  Paul's  Epistle  to  the 
Corinthians. 

I.  We  are  met  at  the  outset  by  two  difficulties, 
two  questions :  first,  Was  S.  James  one  of  the 
twelve  Apostles?  second,  If  not,  was  he  a  be- 
liever in  our  Blessed  I^ord  before  His  Resurrec- 
tion ? 

i.  The  question  of  S.  James's  Apostleship  in- 
volves the  discussion  of  so  many  intricate  theories 
that  we  must  simply  refer  those  v^^ho  are  inter- 
ested in  the  matter  to  Bishop  Lightfoot's  essay  in 
his  work  on  the  Epistle  to  the  Galatians.  His 
opinion,  which  is  accepted  by  the  majority  of  theo- 
logians, though  by  no  means  by  all,  is  that  S. 
James  was  not  one  of  the  Twelve,  but  one  of 
the  "brethren  of  the  Lord,"  whatev^er  may  be 
the  exact  meaning  of  the  term  "  brethren." 

263 


264  Eastertide  Addresses. 

This  term  is  used  in  four  different  senses  in 
Holy  Scripture,  to  denote  (i)  actual  brotherhood, 
(2)  common  nationality,  (3)  kinsmanship,  and  (4) 
friendship.  In  the  case  of  our  Lord's  "breth- 
ren ' '  undoubtedly  the  third  of  these  is  to  be 
adopted  ;  but  the  precise  relationship  which  it 
denotes  must  be  decided  upon  other  grounds. 
Some  think  that  S.  James  was  a  son  of  S.  Joseph 
by  a  former  wife  ;  others  that  he  was  the  son  of 
Mary  the  wife  of  Alphaeus  and  sister  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  and  that  therefore  he  was  our 
Lord's  cousin. 

ii.  If,  then,  we  take  the  view  that  S.  James  was 
not  an  Apostle,  but  one  of  the  ' '  brethren  of  the 
Lord,"  we  are  met  with  another  difficult  question: 
Was  he  a  believer  in  Christ  ? 

Here  again  opinions  differ  ;  for  we  have  two 
traditions.  One  is  probably  found  on  the  passage 
in  S.  John's  Gospel,  "Neither  did  His  brethren 
believe  in  Him"  (chap,  vii.,  5).  This  tradition 
represents  S.  James's  conversion  to  perfect  belief 
in  our  Lord  as  the  result  of  the  appearance  after 
our  Lord's  Resurrection  which  we  are  consider- 
ing ;  and  those  who  accept  it  would  place  S.  James 
in  the  same  category  with  the  Lord's  brethren, 
who  did  not  believe  in  Him. 

The  other  tradition,  quoted  by  S.  Jerome  from 
the  apocryphal  Gospel  according  to  the  Hebrews, 
relates  that  the  Lord   after   His    Resurrection 


The  Appearance  to  S.  James.  265 

"  went  to  James,  and  appeared  to  him  ;  for  James 
had  sworn  that  he  would  not  eat  bread  from  that 
hour  in  which  the  Lord  had  drunk  the  cup,  till 
he  saw  Him  risen  from  the  dead."  JKSUS  there- 
fore "took  bread,  and  blessed  it,  and  brake  it, 
and  gave  it  to  James  the  Just,  and  said  to  him. 
My  brother,  eat  thj^  bread,  for  the  Son  of  Man  is 
risen  from  the  dead." 

Without  going  deeply  into  this  question,  we 
may  observe  that  there  are  two  difficulties  on  the 
very  surface  which  seem  to  prevent  our  accepting 
the  tradition  of  the  Gospel  according  to  the 
Hebrews. 

One  is,  that  it  seems  to  make  S.  James  an 
Apostle  and  to  have  been  present  at  the  Last 
Supper  ;  the  other,  that  S.  Paul  very  distinctly 
states  in  the  passage  from  which  our  text  is  taken 
that  our  Lord  was  not  seen  of  S.  James  until  after 
He  had  been  seen  by  the  "  five  hundred  brethren 
at  once  "  (that  is,  in  the  mountain  in  Galilee). 

And  this  appearance,  as  we  have  alread}^  pointed 
out,*  could  not  possibly  have  happened  until  more 
than  eight  days  after  our  Lord's  Crucifixion. 
For  He  was  in  Jerusalem  on  the  octave  of  Easter 
Day,  when  He  appeared  to  S.  Thomas,  and  the 
manifestation  in  the  mountain  in  Galilee  must, 
therefore,  have  been  later  than  this. 

But  that  anyone  should  have  fasted  for  so  many 
*Chap.  xvi.,  p.  215. 


266  Eastertide  Addresses. 

days  seems  most  unlikely ;  it  is  therefore  highly 
improbable  that  our  S.  James  was  the  one  referred 
to  by  S.  Jerome. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  we  accept  the  first  tra- 
dition that  S.  James  was  not  a  believer  in  our 
Lord  until  converted  by  our  Lord's  appearance 
to  him  after  the  Resurrection,  the  difficulties  do 
not  seem  nearly  so  great.  For  this  appearance 
entirely  accounts  for  the  removal  of  all  traces  of 
unbelief,  as  in  the  somewhat  similar  case  of  S. 
Paul,  who  was  converted  by  our  Lord's  appear- 
ance on  the  road  to  Damascus. 

Moreover,  when  we  come  to  examine  carefully 
the  text  in  S.  John,  we  observe  on  reference  to 
the  Greek,  that  it  asserts  no  more  than  that  the 
brethren  of  our  Lord  did  not  believe  in  Him  in 
the  fullest  sense.  For  the  expression  marevaiv 
ek  avTov  is  to  be  carefully  distinguished  from 
mareveiv  avrcp ;  the  former  (as  in  S.  John  vii., 
5)  implying  full  belief  in  a  persoyi,  that  is,  the 
unreserved  acceptance  of  his  claims  ;  while  the 
latter  signifies  the  acceptance  only  of  a  person's 
words  as  true. 

The  two  expressions  are  brought  together  in 
striking  contrast  in  the  passage  in  the  next  chap- 
ter, * '  As  He  spake  these  words,  many  believed 
on  Him  \i7ti6rav<5av  it^  avTOv'].  Then  said 
Jesus  to  those  Jews  which  believed  on  Him  [tt^- 
mGTSVHora^  aiircS],"  etc.  (S.John  viii.,  30,  31). 


The  Appearance  to  S.  James.  267 

In  the  first  case  the  Evangelist  is  speaking  of 
the  unreserved  acceptance  of  Christ  by  those  who 
heard  His  words  ;  in  the  second,  he  is  speaking 
of  those  Jews  who  simply  believed  Christ's  teach- 
ings, but  did  not  believe  in  His  Person  or  claims. 
The  latter  had  taken  the  first  step,  but  needed  to 
go  on  to  that  fuller  faith  in  Him  to  which  the 
others  had  attained. 

If  we  now  turn  to  the  statement,  "  Neither  did 
His  brethren  believe  in  Him,"  we  can  see  that  all 
that  is  asserted  is  that  they  did  not  believe  fully 
in  His  claim  to  be  the  Messiah  ;  but  this  does  not 
necessarily  imply  that  they  (and  therefore  that 
S.  James)  did  not  believe  in  Him  as  a  teacher. 

II.  In  the  appearance  of  our  Lord  to  S.  James, 
as  in  that  vouchsafed  to  S.  Peter  on  Easter  Day, 
we  have  nothing  more  than  the  bare  statement 
of  the  fact.  There  it  was,  "  The  Lord  is  risen 
indeed,  and  hath  appeared  to  Simon"  (S.  Luke 
xxiv. ,  34)  ;  here,  ' '  After  that.  He  was  seen  of 
James. ' '  In  both  cases  we  can  form  a  supposition 
in  regard  to  what  passed  between  our  Lord  and 
His  Disciple  only  by  observing  the  change  in 
character  which  can  be  traced  in  the  after  life  of 
the  Saint. 

In  the  case  of  S.  Peter,  who  was  a  type  of  the 
sanguine  temperament,  we  were  able  to  point  out 
how  the  weaknesses  of  that  temperament,  which 
so    constantly    showed     themselves    before    our 


268  Eastertide  Addresses. 

Lord's  Resurrection,  seem  almost  to  have  dis- 
appeared in  the  history  of  S.  Peter's  life  after 
that  great  event. 

In  the  case  of  S.  James,  we  have  not  the  same 
materials  out  of  which  to  construct  his  life  before 
the  Resurrection  ;  but  from  his  Epistle,  and  from 
what  we  are  told  of  him  by  Hegesippus,  there 
seems  little  doubt  that  he  was  an  example  of  the 
phlegmatic  temperament. 

Since  we  only  see  this  temperament  in  its  sanc- 
tified aspect  in  S.  James's  after  life,  it  may  be 
helpful  to  compare  this  with  the  general  charac- 
teristics of  the  temperament  in  its  unsanctified 
state,  and  to  observe  the  changes  which  we  may 
well  suppose  were  the  result  of  this  Easter  reve- 
lation of  our  Lord. 

The  phlegmatic  temperament,  of  which  S. 
James  was  so  distinguished  an  example,  has  for 
its  principal  characteristic  that  it  is  very  slow  in 
receiving  impressions,  but  that  when  they  are  re- 
ceived it  holds  them  with  tenacity. 

We  may  note  further,  on  its  good  side,  the  vir- 
tues of  trustworthiness  and  fidelit}^  It  is  the 
temperament  of  the  man  who  is  true  to  his  prom- 
ise ;  who  is  true  to  his  friend  when  he  has  proved 
his  friend.  It  is  the  temperament  of  the  man 
who  is  truthful,  and  upright,  and  straightforward  ; 
who  is  stead}^  and  courageous,  who  is  consistent 
and  patient,  who  is  free  from  vanity  and  ostenta- 


The  Appearance  to  S.  James.  269 

tion,  and  yet  not  wanting  in  kindness  and  amia- 
bility. 

As  the  choleric  is  the  most  noble,  and  the  san- 
guine the  most  amiable  ;  so  the  phlegmatic  is  per- 
haps the  safest,  and  certainly  in  worldly  matters 
the  most  useful. 

It  is  the  predominant  temperament  of  the  An- 
glo-Saxon race.  And  it  has  been  the  temperament 
of  some  of  the  greatest  soldiers  of  the  world,  of 
men  slow  in  receiving  impressions,  but  tenacious 
in  holding  them  ;  slow  in  reaching  a  decision, 
but  when  the  decision  is  made,  absolutely  inflexi- 
ble in  carrying  it  out.  It  was  the  temperament 
of  the  general  who  successfully  met  and  over- 
threw Napoleon,  the  greatest  soldier  of  the  cen- 
tury,— it  was  the  temperament  of  Wellington. 

But  to  turn  now  to  its  bad  side  ;  for  as  we  lis- 
tened to  the  record  of  its  virtues,  we  might  have 
thought  it  was  the  best  of  all  the  temperaments. 
Trustworthy,  truthful,  .steady,  courageous,  tena- 
cious !     What  room  is  left  here  for  faults? 

But  like  all  the  temperaments,  it  has  a  dark 
side  ;  it  is  intensely  slothful,  irritating  in  its 
imperturbability,  unsympathetic,  procrastinating, 
often  superficial,  and  seldom  really  thoughtful. 
At  the  same  time  it  is  the  temperament  of  the 
man  who  is  always  wishing  to  deliberate,  wish- 
ing to  think,  and  yet  often  too  slothful  really  to 
think  a  thing  out  to  its  end. 


270  Eastertide  Addresses. 

It  is  essentially  the  practical  temperament,  and 
yet  sometimes  too  practical.  And  alas,  worst  of 
all,  it  is  the  sel^sh  temperament.  Its  besetting  sin 
is  often  the  sin  of  covetousness.  And  it  is  the  tem- 
perament which  is  least  able  to  see  its  own  faults. 

The  choleric  man  is  generous,  and,  like  most 
generous  people,  ready  to  see  at  once  his  fault. 
The  sanguine  man  too  is  generous,  and  realizes 
his  weakness. 

But  it  is  very  diflScult  to  make  any  impression 
at  all  on  the  phlegmatic  man.  He  it  is  who  is 
slowest  to  see  his  faults  ;  and  unless  the  tempera- 
ment be  sanctified  by  grace  it  is  in  great  danger 
of  becoming  self-centred  and  selfish. 

The  choleric  man  espouses  a  cause — not  often 
his  own  cause, — the  cause,  perhaps,  of  a  friend  ; 
and  he  espouses  it  with  all  his  heart.  The  san- 
guine man,  too,  is  ready  to  rush  into  almost  any- 
thing that  he  thinks  noble  and  good. 

But  the  phlegmatic  man,  unless  sanctified  by 
grace,  is  constantly  holding  back  when  the  time 
for  action  arrives,  seeing  difficulties,  shrinking 
from  them,  and  allowing  duties  to  go  undone 
and  opportunities  to  pass  unused. 

III.  When  we  compare  this  description  of  the 
phlegmatic  temperament  with  what  we  know  of 
the  characteristics  of  S.  James,  we  see  at  once  how 
great  a  work  grace  must  have  done  in  his  soul. 
For  while  we  are  able  to  trace  most  of  the  good 


TJie  Appcara7ice  to  S.  James.  271 

features  of  the  temperament,  the  bad  ones,  at 
least  in  their  darkest  form,  are  not  to  be  found  at 
all  in  him. 

i.  If  we  first  try  to  study  the  character  of  S. 
James  as  manifested  in  his  Epistle,  we  shall  ob- 
serve at  once  how  intensely  practical  he  is. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  the  Epistle  of  S.  James 
is  less  deeply  spiritual  than  the  other  books 
of  the  New  Testament,  but  it  is  more  intensely 
practical. 

S.  James  is  impatient  of  mere  profession  and 
sentimentality  in  religion  ;  the  value  of  a  man's 
religion,  he  tells  us,  is  to  be  determined  by  his 
actions.  "Show  me  thy  faith  without  thy 
works,"  he  says,  "  and  I  will  show  thee  my  faith 
by  my  works."  He  is  not  content  with  the  mere 
form  of  religion  ;  he  tells  us  that  "  Pure  religion 
and  undefiled  before  God  and  the  Fathkr  is  this. 
To  visit  the  fatherless  and  widows  in  their  afflic- 
tion, and  to  keep  himself  unspotted  from  the 
world." 

The  Epistle  may  not  be  spiritually  deep,  but  it 
is  thoroughly  practical.  **  Be  ye  doers  of  the 
word,  and  not  hearers  only,  deceiving  your  own 
selves." 

In  the  second  chapter,  also,  we  have  some  im- 
portant teaching  on  practical  benevolence,  to  the 
effect  that  true  charity  does  not,  and  indeed  can- 
not, confine  itself  to  mere  words  of  sympathy.     In 


2/2  Eastertide  Addresses. 

the  third  chapter  we  find  practical  teaching  about 
the  sins  of  tlie  tongue. 

In  the  fifth  chapter  he  tells  us  what  should  be 
done  in  times  of  sickness  and  death,  giving  prac- 
tical instruction  in  regard  to  sending  for  the 
Priest,  the  administration  of  Unction,  the  practice 
of  Confession,  and  of  Intercessory  Prayer. 

All  these  things  are  treated  not  from  a  doc- 
trinal but  from  a  practical  point  of  view.  Indeed, 
there  is  scarcely  a  doctrinal  reference  in  the  whole 
Epistle,  which  is  exclusively  concerned  with  the 
daily  duties  of  a  Christian  man's  life. 

ii.  S.  James  rose  to  a  position  of  great  promi- 
nence in  the  early  Christian  Church,  becoming 
finally  the  Bishop  of  Jerusalem  ;  and  we  find  him 
presiding  at  the  first  Apostolic  Council  (of  which 
we  read  in  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  the  Acts),  sum- 
ming up  its  discussions,  and  pronouncing  its  sen- 
tence in  regard  to  the  matters  brought  before  it. 

Hegesippus,  a  converted  Jew  who  flourished  in 
the  latter  half  of  the  second  century,  says  of  S. 
James  that  he  was  "that  James  who  had  been 
called  Just  from  the  time  of  our  Lord  to  our  own 
da5^s  ;  for  there  were  many  of  the  name  of  James. 
He  was  holy  from  his  mother's  womb  ;  he  drank 
not  wine  nor  strong  drink,  nor  did  he  eat  animal 
food;  a  razor  came  not  upon  his  head.  He  did  not 
anoint  himself  with  oil  ;  he  did  not  use  the  bath. 
He  alone  might  go  into  the  Holy  Place,  for  he 


The  Appearance  to  S.  James.  273 

wore  no  woollen  clothes,  but  linen  ;  and  alone  he 
used  to  go  into  the  Temple,  and  there  he  was 
commonly  found  upon  his  knees,  praying  for  for- 
giveness for  the  people  ;  so  that  his  knees  grew 
dry  and  thin  like  a  camel's,  and  he  was  constantly 
bending  them  in  prayer,  and  entreating  forgive- 
ness for  the  people.  On  account,  therefore,  of  his 
exceeding  righteousness,  he  was  called  Just,  and 
Oblias,  which  means,  in  Greek,  The  Bulwark  of 
the  People,  and  righteousness,  as  the  prophets 
declare  of  him." 

Hegesippus  goes  on  to  give  many  interesting 
details  of  the  teaching  of  S.  James,  and  ends  by 
telling  us  of  his  martyrdom.  He  says  "  that  on 
account  of  his  witness  to  our  Blessed  lyORD,  he 
was  hurled  by  some  scribes  and  Pharisees  from  a 
gable  of  the  Temple  ;  and  that,  not  being  killed 
by  the  fall,  they  began  to  stone  him,  sajdng,  Let 
us  stone  James  the  Just ;  and  that  he  turned 
round,  and  knelt  down,  and  cried,  I  beseecli 
Thee,  Lord  God,  Fathkr,  forgive  them,  for 
they  know  not  what  they  do.  Finall}^  one  of 
them,  who  was  a  fuller,  took  the  club  with  which 
he  pressed  the  clothes,  and  brought  it  down  on 
the  head  of  the  Just  One.  And  so  he  bore  his 
witness ;  and  they  buried  him  on  the  spot  by  the 
Temple.  This  was  shortly  before  Vespasian  com- 
menced the  siege  of  Jerusalem."  * 

*Kusebius,  ii.,  23. 


274  Eastertide  Addresses. 

And  this  was  the  Saint  to  whom  our  Lord 
appeared  after  His  Resurrection.  By  His  mani- 
festation of  Himself  He  transformed  one  who  by- 
temperament  was  slow  to  accept  truth,  into  the 
great  Saint  who  lived  as  "  the  Just,"  and  died  a 
martyr's  death  as  Bishop  of  the  Mother  Church 
at  Jerusalem. 


XXI. 

THE  IvAST  WORDS. 

"when  they  therefore  were  come  to- 
gether, THEY  ASKED  OF  HIM,  SAYING, 
I.ORD,  WILT  THOU  AT  THIS  TIME  RESTORE 
AGAIN  THE  KINGDOM  TO  ISRAEL  ?  AND  HE 
SAID  UNTO  THEM,  IT  IS  NOT  FOR  YOU  TO 
KNOW  THE  TIMES  OR  THE  SEASONS,  WHICH 
THE  FATHER  HATH  PUT  IN  HIS  OWN  POWER, 
BUT  YE  SHALL  RECEIVE  POWER,  AFTER  THAT 
THE  HOLY  GHOST  IS  COME  UPON  YOU  :  AND 
YE  SHALL  BE  WITNESSES  UNTO  ME  BOTH  IN 
JERUSALEM,  AND  IN  ALL  JUD^A,  AND  IN 
SAMARIA,  AND  UNTO  THE  UTTERMOST  PART 
OF  THE  EARTH. ' '      Ads  i. ,  6-g. 

IN  these  verses  we  have  the  last  recorded  words 
of  our  lyORD  to  His  Apostles  before  His  As- 
cension. From  the  third  verse  of  the  first 
chapter  of  the  Acts  we  learn  that  the  entire  inter- 
val between  His  Resurrection  and  Ascension  was 
forty  days,  and  that  during  that  time  He  spoke  to 
them  **  of  the  things  pertaining  to  the  Kingdom 
of  God." 

275 


276  Eastertide  Addresses. 

There  may  have  been,  probably  there  were, 
many  appearances  which  are  not  recorded,  but  it 
seems  certain  that  on  the  occasion  described  in  the 
words  of  our  text  we  have  actuall}-  our  Lord's  last 
words.  For  in  the  ninth  verse  we  read  that  "when 
He  had  spoken  these  things,  while  they  beheld. 
He  was  taken  up  :  and  a  cloud  received  Him  out 
of  their  sight." 

In  the  fourth  verse  we  have  an  account  of  a 
previous  appearance  when  our  I<ord  had  told 
them  that  they  were  to  remain  at  Jerusalem  and 
to  wait  for  the  promise  of  the  Fathkr — that 
descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost  of  which  He  had 
spoken  to  them  so  fully  on  Maundy  Thursday 
night.  This  we  may  pass  over,  and  proceed  to 
the  consideration  of  our  L<ord's  last  words. 

I.  The  passage  begins  with  the  question  asked 
Him  by  the  Apostles,  "  Lord,  wilt  Thou  at  this 
time  restore  again  the  kingdom  to  Israel?" — a 
question  which  brings  home  to  us  very  forcibl}^ 
the  enormous  change  which  was  wrought  in  the 
Apostles  afterwards  by  the  Gift  of  the  HoiyY 
Ghost. 

For  here,  but  ten  days  before  Pentecost,  we  find 
them  still  clinging  to  their  old  Messianic  hope  of 
a  temporal  restoration  of  the  Jewish  kingdom.  In 
spite  of  the  revelation  on  the  mountain  in  Galilee, 
when  they  were  told  to  go  and  make  disciples  of 
all  nations,  they  still  appear  to  have  thought  that 


TJie  Last   Words.  277 

there  must  be  some  special  advantage  for  the  Jews. 

And  this  restoration  of  the  kingdom  to  Israel 
probably  meant  in  their  minds  not  only  freedom 
from  the  Roman  domination  and  a  restoration  of 
the  glories  of  the  kingdom  as  in  the  days  of  David 
and  Solomon,  but  something  more ;  perhaps  a 
consummation  of  all  those  glorious  prophecies 
throughout  the  Old  Dispensation  which  pointed 
to  the  days  of  the  Messiah,  and  to  which  they, 
like  the  Jews  before  them,  were  giving  a  temporal 
and  local  significance. 

They  felt  that  they  were  on  the  very  eve  of  a 
great  revelation  of  their  Master's  power  and  glory, 
and  with  hearts  fired  with  patriotism  they  asked, 
in  no  mere  spirit  of  idle  curiosity,  but  rather 
prompted  by  hope,  whether  this  revelation  of  their 
glorified  Lord  would  not  be  the  occasion  of  the 
complete  establishment  of  that  Messianic  kingdom 
to  which  every  Jew  had  looked  forward  as  the 
consummation  of  all  that  was  glorious  in  the  his- 
tory of  his  nation. 

Out  of  the  fulness  of  His  divine  foreknowledge 
our  Lord  might  have  answered  directly  in  the 
negative.  But  He  did  not.  He  rather  takes  the 
opportunity  to  instruct  them  that  such  things  are 
in  the  hands  of  God  alone  ;  that  their  duty  is  to 
bear  witness  to  Him,  and  that  it  is  through  such 
witness  that  His  Kingdom  is  to  be  established. 

Our  Lord's  answer  in  this  place  reminds  us  of 


278  Eastertide  Addresses. 

His  similar  answer  in  S.  Mark  :  "  But  of  that  day 
and  that  hour  knoweth  no  man,  no,  not  the  An- 
gels which  are  in  Heaven,  neither  the  Son,  but 
the  Father.  Take  ye  heed,  watch  and  pray  : 
for  ye  know  not  when  the  time  is  "  (S.  Mark  xiii., 

32,  33)- 

There  He  had  been  speaking  to  them  of  the  end 

of  all  things,  of  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  in 
the  clouds,  with  power  and  great  glory,  to  estab- 
lish His  eternal  kingdom  ;  and  He  warns  them 
that  the  time  when  this  shall  happen  is  hidden 
from  the  knowledge  of  man  in  order  that  man  may 
be  always  watching,  expecting,  preparing  for  it. 

Throughout  His  Ministry  He  seems  to  teach  us 
that  it  is  not  for  us  to  pry  with  over-curious  eyes 
into  divine  mysteries,  or  to  seek  to  know  the 
"when"  of  God's  providences;  rather  we  are 
to  be  content  to  do  our  duty  in  the  great  present, 
leaving  the  future  to  the  loving  hands  of  a  merci- 
ful God. 

He  tells  them  that  it  is  not  for  them  to  know 
* '  the  times  or  the  seasons ' ' ;  but  He  again  promises 
them  power  through  the  coming  upon  them  of  the 
HoivY  Ghost.  He  tells  them  that  for  superhuman 
knowledge  they  are  not  to  look,  although  miracu- 
lous powers  will  be  granted  to  them  for  their  work 
and  the  confirmation  of  their  teaching. 

This  power  which  they  were  to  receive  so 
soon  was  to  transform  them,  to  enlighten  them, 


The  Last   Words.  279 

not  that  they  should  know  all  things,  but  that 
they  should  be  guided  into  all  truth, — that  they 
might  know  all  things  that  were  necessary  to 
guide  themselves  and  others  in  the  ways  of 
God's  appointment. 

II.  And  then  He  ends  by  telling  them  of  one 
special  purpose  for  which  this  power  was  to  be 
given — that  they  are  to  be  witnesses  of  Him, 
that  they  are  to  be  His  martyrs  (J'aeadi  /^ov 
/xaprvpeg). 

And  what  did  this  involve  ?  The  showing  forth 
in  themselves  of  His  life.  They  had  followed  Him 
through  the  trials  of  His  Ministry,  they  had  heard 
His  teaching,  they  had  seen  His  miracles,  they 
had  beheld  His  Death,  they  had  been  assured  of 
His  Resurrection.  Now  they  are  to  go  out  into 
the  world  and  witness  to  these  things. 

Not  only  are  they  to  tell  the  story  of  His  Life 
and  Death,  with  the  eloquence  which  love  for  His 
memory  will  beget  ;  but,  after  having  received 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  they  are  to  show 
forth  in  their  lives  the  effect  of  what  they  have 
seen  and  heard.  They  are,  as  S.  Paul  writes  to 
the  Corinthians  of  himself,  to  be  **  always  bearing 
about  in  the  body  the  dying  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
that  the  Life  also  of  Jesus  might  be  made  mani- 
fest in  our  body  "  (2  Cor.  iv.,  10). 

How  they  fulfilled  our  Lord's  command  the 
rest  of  the  New  Testament  tells  us.     We  find  a 


28o  Eastertide  Addresses. 

handful  of  weak,  timid,  and  ignorant  men,  so 
transformed  through  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  given  them  at  Pentecost,  as  to  become 
stronger  than  all  the  powers  which  could  be  ar- 
rayed against  them ;  bolder,  more  courageous  than 
the  greatest  heroes  of  history;  and  wiser  than  the 
wisest  philosophers  the  world  has  produced. 

And  all  this  strength  and  courage  and  wisdom 
was  directed  to  one  great  end,  to  the  fulfilment  of 
our  Lord's  last  command, — to  witnessing  to  Him. 
Wherever  they  went  the  topic  of  their  preaching 
was  the  same,  JKSUS  and  the  Resurrection,  Jksus 
Who  died  for  our  sins  and  rose  again  for  our  just- 
ification. His  Life,  His  Death,  His  Teaching, — 
this  was  the  theme  of  all  their  discourses. 

It  was  as  though  those  last  words,  "Ye  shall 
be  My  witnesses,"  were  ever  ringing  in  their  ears, 
and  that  last  Vision  of  Him,  as  the  cloud  received 
Him  up  out  of  their  sight  with  His  Hands  raised 
in  benediction,  ever  before  their  eyes. 

And  this  it  was  which  enabled  them  to  vSpeak 
with  words  of  such  burning  eloquence,  not  of  an 
historical  Christ  Whom  once  they  had  known. 
Whose  Life  was  beautiful  and  His  Death  pa- 
thetic, but  of  a  living,  present  Lord,  Who  had 
said,  ''  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the 
end  of  the  world." 

So  they  preached,  and  so  they  lived,  that  men 
"took  knowledge  of  them,  that  they  had  been 


TJie  Last   Words.  281 

with  Jksus  "  (Acts  iv.,  13).  And  when  they 
were  persecuted  and  beaten  and  punished  for  their 
witness,  they  departed  "  rejoicing  that  they  were 
counted  worthy  to  suffer  shame  for  His  Name  ' ' 
(^Acts  v.,  41). 

The  effect  of  their  testimony  is  among  the 
things  which  can  be  most  clearly  traced  in  the 
history  of  the  world.  In  every  country,  in  every 
clime,  wherever  the  Cross  has  been  planted  and 
the  Gospel  of  Christ  preached,  there  are  the 
fruits  of  the  witness  of  Christ's  Apostles.  Well 
has  the  prophecy  of  the  Psalmist  been  fulfilled  : 
"Their  sound  is  gone  out  into  all  lands:  and 
their  words  into  the  ends  of  the  world"  (Ps. 
xix.,  4). 

III.  But  it  is  not  for  us  merely  to  admire  the 
splendid  heroism  of  our  Lord's  Apostles,  merely 
to  observe  the  enormous  powers  conferred  upon 
them  by  the  H01.Y  Ghost  as  evidenced  in  their 
changed  lives  after  Pentecost,  in  order  to  do  no 
more  than  trace  all  these  back  to  the  thrilling 
charge  with  which  our  Lord  departed  from  them, 
"Ye  shall  be  My  witnesses."  For  we  must  re- 
member that  the  same  words  have  been  spoken 
to  us,  the  same  Gift  has  been  given  to  us,  and 
that  it  is  the  duty  not  only  of  the  Priest  of  the 
Church,  but  of  every  baptized  member  of  it,  to 
bear  witness  to  Christ. 

And  surely  this  is  what  is  needed  now,  as  it 


282  Eastertide  Addresses. 

was  needed  in  the  apostolic  age.  Then  all  the 
forces  of  the  world  were  arrayed  against  Christi- 
anity, but  the  power  of  a  handful  of  ignorant 
men,  that  is,  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
which  was  in  them — was  sufficient  to  conquer  all 
opposition,  to  overcome  all  difficulties,  and  to 
convert  the  world. 

And  while  we  are  inclined  to  say,  and  perhaps 
with  some  reason,  that  our  lot  is  cast  in  evil  times, 
that  the  age  in  which  we  live  is  not  an  age  of 
faith ;  yet  the  difficulties  we  have  to  meet,  the 
obstacles  we  have  to  conquer  are  trifles  compared 
with  those  which  confronted  the  Apostles. 

We  have  the  same  charge,  **Ye  shall  be  My 
witnesses."  We  have  the  same  power,  the  prom- 
ise of  the  Father,  the  Gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
If  only  we  were  to  use  it  as  the  Apostles  used  it 
— not  merel}^  in  talking  about  the  teachings  of 
Christ,  but  in  bearing  witness  in  our  own  lives 
to  the  power  of  Christ — how  glorious  would  be 
the  result  ! 

What  is  it  that  the  world  needs?  Scarcely 
theological  discussion,  for  we  have  a  very  Babel 
of  religious  speculation  all  round  us  to-day. 
What  the  world  needs  is  the  example  of  Christ- 
like lives,  the  witness  of  men  who  believe  in 
Christ  and  His  teaching ;  not  merely  as  an  in- 
tellectual conclusion  for  which  they  are  ready  to 
argue,   perhaps  even  with  bitterness;  but  as  a 


The  Last   Words.  283 

moral  convictiou,  for  which  they  are  ready  to  live, 
and  if  need  be  to  die. 

An  earnest  life,  not  a  brilliant  argument,  is  the 
force  by  which  the  world  is  to  be  converted  to- 
day, as  it  was  converted  in  the  early  ages  of 
Christianity. 

How  are  we  to  bear  witness  ?  Surely  by  com- 
paring our  lives  with  the  pattern  put  before  us 
by  our  Blessed  Lord,  and  striving  to  conform 
ourselves  more  and  more  to  His  example. 

Let  us  not  read  the  words  of  the  text  and  try 
merely  to  estimate  their  effect  upon  the  Apostles ; 
but  let  us  consider  them  as  addressed  to  ourselves, 
and  strive  to  show  forth  their  power  in  our  lives. 
After  that  we  have  received  the  gift  of  the  H01.Y 
Ghost,  we  must  be  His  witnesses. 

We  have  received  the  power  in  Baptism,  in 
Confirmation.  How  are  we  fulfilling  the  charge 
of  bearing  witness  to  Christ  ?  The  words  of  the 
last  charge  of  our  Blessed  Master  should  ring  in 
our  ears.  The  power  throbs,  as  it  were,  in  our 
souls.  The  Vision  of  His  Ascension,  with  His 
arms  upraised  in  blessing,  should  be  present  to 
our  sight ;  and  then  how  changed  our  lives  would 
be,  how  great  their  effect  upon  the  world  in  which 
we  live ! 


XXII. 
THK  APPKARANCK  TO  S.   PAUI.. 

**  AND   I.AST  OF  AI,I.  HE   WAS  SKKN  OF  MB  ALSO, 
AS  OF  ONE  BORN  OUT  OF  DUE  TIME." 

I  Cor.  XV.  y  8. 

OUR  lyORD's  last  appearance  after  His  Resur- 
rection !       It  was   altogether   unique  in 
regard  to  time  and  circumstances,  as  well 
as  in  its  far-reaching  effects,  both  to  S.  Paul  and 
to  the  Christian  Church  at  large. 

A  considerable  time  had  elapsed  since  our 
Blessed  Lord's  Ascension.  The  cloud  had  re- 
ceived Him  out  of  the  sight  of  the  gazing  Apos- 
tles, and  they  expected  not  to  see  Him  again 
until,  as  He  Himself  had  prophesied,  and  as  the 
Angels  foretold.  He  should  come  **  in  like  man- 
ner," that  is,  *'  in  a  cloud  with  power  and  great 
glory  "  (S.  Luke  xxi.,  27). 

But  there  was  to  be  one  more  bodily  appear- 
ance, and  that  last  manifestation  so  strange,  and 
fraught  with  such  enormous  consequences  to  the 
world,  that  we  may  well  say  that  it  was  in  some 

284 


TJie  Appearance  to  S.  Paul.  285 

sense  the  greatest  of  the  manifestations  of  the 
risen  lyORD. 

The  other  appearances  had  been  to  those  who 
knew,  and  loved,  and  belicvedin  our  Lord;  unless, 
indeed,  we  accept  the  theory  of  S.  James's  want 
of  faith.  This  was  to  one  who  probably  had 
never  seen  our  Lord  in  the  flesh,  and  who  neither 
loved  nor  believed  in  Him  ;  but  was,  indeed,  His 
sworn  foe  and,  at  the  very  moment  of  our  Lord's 
manifestation  of  Himself  to  him,  was  engaged  in 
the  work  of  persecuting  His  followers. 

I.  It  is  impossible  to  fix  accurately  the  time  of 
S.  Paul's  conversion  ;  some  writers,  such  as  Ram- 
say, placing  the  event  as  earl}^  as  a.d.  33,  while 
the  majorit^^  would  probabl}^  agree  with  Fouard  in 
thinking  that  it  occurred  about  four  years  later. 

The  circumstances  are  so  well  known  that  we 
need  scarcely  do  more  than  touch  upon  them. 
In  the  sixth  and  seventh  chapters  of  the  Acts 
of  the  Apostles  we  find  described  with  excep- 
tional vividness  the  story  and  scene  of  S.  Stephen's 
splendid  defence  and  glorious  martyrdom. 

In  the  ninth  chapter  we  are  introduced  to  a 
member  of  the  Sanhedrim  who  had  consented  to 
S.  Stephen's  death,  and  had,  perhaps,  been  one 
of  the  foremost  among  his  persecutors  ;  of  whom 
indeed,  we  are  told,  that  he  was  the  young  man 
at  whose  feet  the  witnesses  laid  down  their  clothes 
when  they  stoned  Stephen. 


286  Eastertide  Addresses. 

S.  Luke  tells  us  that  this  young  doctor  of  the 
law,  whose  name  was  Saul,  had  started  on  the 
road  to  Damascus,  with  the  intention  of  seeking 
there  for  Christian  converts,  that  he  might  bring 
them,  whether  men  or  women,  bound  unto  Jeru- 
salem. 

Then  in  a  few  graphic  words  S.  Luke  (who 
afterwards  became  this  young  man's  friend  and 
travelling  companion,  and  doubtless  heard  many 
times  from  his  own  lips  the  details  of  the  event 
which  he  describes)  tells  us  of  an  experience 
which,  while  in  its  literal  sense  it  is  altogether 
without  a  parallel,  yet  became  the  pattern  of  our 
Lord's  dealing  from  time  to  time,  and  under  ex- 
ceptional circumstances,  with  other  favoured 
souls. 

The  incident  is  described  in  the  following 
words  :  **  As  he  journeyed,  he  came  near  Damas- 
cus :  and  suddenly  there  shined  round  about  him 
a  light  from  Heaven  :  and  he  fell  to  the  earth, 
and  heard  a  Voice  saying  unto  him,  Saul,  Saul, 
why  persecutest  thou  Me  ?  And  he  said,  Who 
art  Thou,  Lord  ?  And  the  Lord  said,  I  am 
Jesus  Whom  thou  persecutest  :  it  is  hard  for  thee 
to  kick  against  the  pricks.  And  he  trembling 
and  astonished  said,  Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have 
me  to  do?  And  the  Lord  said  unto  him.  Arise, 
and  go  into  the  city,  and  it  shall  be  told  thee 
what  thou  must  do"  (Acts  ix.,  3-7). 


The  Appearance  to  S.  Paul.  287 

The  dazzling  light,  the  thrilling  Voice,  the 
solemn  question,  all  bring  before  us  a  scene  in  its 
fulness  quite  unique,  as  we  have  said,  in  Christian 
experience,  and  yet  more  or  less  the  tj'pe  of  every 
true  conversion.  The  glorious  light,  so  far  be- 
yond the  splendour  of  the  noonday  sun,  blinded 
Saul ;  '  *  and  when  his  eyes  were  opened,  he  saw 
no  man  .  .  .  and  he  was  three  days  without 
sight"  (vv.  8,  9). 

II.  What  a  contrast  !  From  brightest  light  to 
pitchy  darkness  !  And  yet  how  w^onderful  and 
how  fruitful  must  have  been  that  darkness  ! 
With  all  the  world  shut  out  and  the  eyes  of  the 
soul  turned  inward,  with  the  recollection  of  the 
Vision,  with  the  words  still  ringing  in  his  ears, 
those  three  days  of  darkness  must  have  been  the 
retreat  in  which  S.  Paul  thought  out  and  faced 
all  that  was  involved  in  his  conversion,  in  which 
he  thought  out  and  grasped  the  meaning  of  our 
lyORD's  words  to  him. 

lyCt  us  strive  to  enter  into  S.  Paul's  thoughts 
as  he  considered,  during  those  three  days  of 
darkness  and  solitude  and  fasting,  all  the  conse- 
quences of  the  act  of  self-surrender  which  he  had 
made  when,  without  a  moment's  hesitation,  he 
said,  **  Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do  ?  " 

i.  On  the  side  of  encouragement,  there  were 
the  possibilities  which  that  Vision  for  the  first 
time    suggested,    but    of   which   he   had    never 


288  Eastertide  Addresses. 

dreamed.  There  were  awakened  in  him  hopes  of 
a  world  beyond,  in  which  the  craving  of  his  soul 
should  be  satisfied  by  the  possession  throughout 
eternity  of  Him  the  very  sight  of  Whom  had 
won  his  love  and  transformed  his  whole  life. 

ii.  But  then,  on  the  other  hand,  there  came 
before  him  the  enormous  sacrifices  which  his 
chaiige  of  faith  involved  :  the  stultifying  of  all 
his  past  life  ;  the  destruction  of  his  hopes  and 
ambitions  ;  the  loss  of  all  his  friends ;  the  sur- 
render of  the  prejudices  and  beliefs  of  a  lifetime, 
with  forfeiture  of  everything  that  would  be  dear 
to  a  man  like  S.  Paul.  The  sacrifice  demanded 
was  indeed  tremendous. 

iii.  Again,  in  those  daj's  of  darkness  he  faced 
the  probable  future,  with  its  hardships  and  evils 
and  cares.  He  saw  the  stupendous  work  to  be 
done,  and  the  entire  absence  of  visible  means  for 
its  accomplishment.  He  saw  that  he  would  have 
to  strive  almost  alone  against  the  world,  his  only 
allies  being  a  few  unlearned  fishermen  and  Gali- 
lean peasants.  The  most  brilliant  leader  among 
the  Christians,  so  far  as  he  knew,  had  been  put 
to  death,  and  with  his  aid. 

iv.  We  should  not  be  able  to  comprehend  at  all 
fully  what  these  vSacrifices  involved,  if  we  did  not 
take  into  account  the  temperament  of  S.  Paul, 
which  so  greatly  intensified  his  appreciation  of  the 
difficulties  before  him. 


TJie  Appearance  to  S.  Paul.  289 

For  S.  Paul  was  a  great  example  of  the  melan- 
cholic temperament  which,  while  on  the  one  hand 
it  made  him  exquisitely  sensitive  and  greatly 
enhanced  his  sufferings,  on  the  other  hand  gave 
him  an  intellectual  grasp  of  his  position  which 
showed  him  in  the  clearest  light  all  its  difficulties. 

Had  S.  Paul  been  a  man  of  sanguine  tempera- 
ment, like  S.  Peter,  w^e  can  understand  that  he 
would  have  thought  only  of  the  glories  which  the 
Vision  had  revealed  to  him,  and,  dazzled  by  their 
splendour,  would  have  been  blind  for  the  time  to 
all  obstacles  and  dangers. 

But  with  S.  Paul  it  was  not  so.  While  he  re- 
alized the  magnificent  future  which  had  been 
opened  to  him,  while  he  did  not  underrate  one 
whit  the  dignity  of  being  a  follower  of  JKSUS,  yet 
he  also  saw,  with  a  keenness  of  vision  that  few 
possessed,  all  the  difficulties  which  lay  in  his 
path. 

V.  Then  there  was  also  the  possible  doubt,  not 
whether  he  should  obey  the  call — about  that  he 
never  hesitated  after  he  uttered  the  words, 
"  lyORD,  what  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do  ?  " — but 
whether  he  would  be  sufficient  for  these  things. 
For  as  yet,  we  must  remember,  he  had  no  experi- 
ence of  the  power  of  Divine  grace  ;  he  knew  no 
one  w^ho  had  passed  through  the  same  trial  on 
whom  he  could  look  as  an  example. 

Having,   however,  counted  the  cost,  he  gave 


290  Eastertide  Addresses. 

himself  altogether  to  Christ  ;  and  his  after  life 
shows  us  that  there  was  no  looking  back,  no 
further  hesitation.  Henceforth  his  motto  was, 
' '  This  one  thing  I  do,  forgetting  those  things 
which  are  behind,  and  reaching  forth  unto  those 
things  which  are  before,  I  press  toward  the  mark 
for  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ 
Jesus  "  (Phil,  iii.,  13,  14). 

III.  S.  Paul  realized,  to  some  extent  at  least, 
the  consequences  to  himself  involved  in  the  ac- 
ceptance of  our  Lord's  call.  But  how  little  (we 
may  suppose)  did  he  think  of  the  consequences  to 
the  world  ! 

We,  from  our  post  of  vantage,  can  better  esti- 
mate them,  and  yet  we  do  not  see  them  in  all 
their  fulness.  As  we  look  back  we  see  churches 
founded,  souls  converted,  ecclesiastical  difficul- 
ties and  disorders  of  the  infant  Church  met,  and 
by  his  large-hearted  wisdom  to  a  great  extent 
overcome.  We  also  possess  those  writings,  which 
have  been  a  light  to  the  Church  of  all  ages  ;  and 
that  teaching  of  the  doctrine  of  Divine  grace, 
which  is  in  a  special  sense  S.  Paul's  contribution 
to  the  theolog}^  of  the  Christian  Church  !  And 
then,  too,  there  is  that  marvellous  analysis  of 
the  human  soul  in  its  life  of  struggle  and  temp- 
tation, which  is  the  basis  of  so  much  in  ascetic 
theology,  and  the  help  of  so  many  in  the  guid- 
ance of  souls  ! 


The  Appearance  to  S.  Paul.  291 

In  estimating  the  effect  upon  the  Christian 
Church  of  S.  John's  life  of  patient  waiting  and 
meditation,  we  tried  to  think  what  would  be  the 
loss  if  his  Gospel,  the  great  fruit  of  that  life,  were 
taken  away  from  the  Church.  In  the  same  way, 
perhaps,  we  may  best  understand  the  effects  of  S. 
Paul's  conversion  upon  the  world  by  endeavour- 
ing to  realize  how  much  poorer  the  Church 
would  be  in  her  dogmatic,  moral,  and  ascetical 
theology,  if  we  had  not  S.  Paul's  Epistles  to  be 
our  guide  in  these  three  important  departments 
of  the  Church's  teaching. 

IV.  We  have  been  studying  our  Lord's  ap- 
pearances after  His  Resurrection,  not  only  that 
we  ma)^  trace  their  effects  upon  those  to  whom  He 
made  Himself  manifest,  but  also  that  we  may 
learn  from  each  case  some  lesson  to  help  us  in 
life  in  this  w^orld,  which  is  but  a  preparation  for 
the  great  Eastertide  of  eternity.  And  perhaps 
it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  from  no  one  of  our 
Lord's  Easter  revelations  to  individuals  can  we 
learn  more  than  from  this  appearance  to  S.  Paul 
in  the  way  to  Damascus. 

i.  For  we  learn  something  of  that  strange  ex- 
perience of  every  faithful  soul  which  we  describe 
under  the  term  '  *  conversion . "  It  is  a  word  which 
has  often  been  perverted  in  its  use,  but  which  the 
Church,  nevertheless,  cannot  afford  to  lose.  It 
implies  nothing  more  than  the  turning  of  the  will 


292  Eastertide  Addresses. 

to  God  ;  and  of  course,  when  the  will  turns  to  God 
it  means  the  turning  of  the  whole  being  to  Him. 
There  are  several  mistakes  about  conversion,  espe- 
cially as  the  term  is  used  by  Sectarians,  which  it 
may  be  well  briefly  to  notice. 

(i)  It  is  often  confused  with  "regeneration." 
Conversion  is  the  act  of  man  ;  regeneration  is  the 
gift  of  God.  It  is  true  that  man  cannot  turn  to 
God  unless  by  His  preventing  grace  God  puts  into 
man's  heart  the  desire  to  turn  to  Him.  But  re- 
generation has  nothing  to  do  with  this.  It  is  a 
special  "  grace  "  given  by  God  of  His  own  good- 
ness (through  the  medium  of  a  definite  Sacrament, 
Baptism),  which  man  cannot  in  any  sense  merit, 
but  by  which  the  recipient  is  incorporated  into 
Christ,  and  made  a  child  of  God  by  adoption 
and  an  inheritor  of  Heaven. 

(2)  Again,  some  think  that  there  is  only  one  way 
of  being  converted,  that  is,  suddenly  and  with  in- 
tense emotion.  But  there  are  gradual  as  well  as 
sudden  conversions,  for  the  Holy  Spirit  does 
not  work  in  all  souls  alike  ;  and  while  among  the 
Saints  we  find  many  instances  of  conversion  which 
remind  us  of  S.  Paul's,  we  also  find  not  a  few 
whose  conversion  was  most  gradual. 

(3)  Another  mistake  is  the  supposition  that  con- 
version is  everything.  It  is  really  only  the  first 
step,  and,  if  we  stop  there,  it  is  of  no  value.  It  is 
of  no  use  to  turn  to  God  and  stand  still.     We 


The  Appearance  to  S.  Paul.  293 

must  follow  our  Lord  ;  and  this  implies  ad- 
vance. 

When  S.  Paul  was  converted,  he  tells  us  himself 
that  he  pressed  forward  to  the  mark  for  the  prize. 
And  we  know  that  it  did  not  exempt  him  from  re- 
ceiving the  Sacraments  of  the  Church,  for  we  are 
expressly  told  that  Ananias  was  sent  to  baptize  him. 

(4)  A  fourth  mistake  is  the  notion  that  we  can  be 
converted  07ily  once^  whereas  we  need  conversion 
every  time  we  turn  away  from  God  ;  and  in  the 
history  of  almost  every  spiritual  life  more  than  one 
conversion  can  be  distinctly  traced. 

Indeed,  it  is  a  principle  of  spiritual  life  that 
there  are  usually  at  least  two  conversions  :  the 
one  from  sin  to  self,  when  the  soul  wakes  up  to 
its  own  possibilities  and  serves  God  largely  for 
His  gifts ;  the  other  from  self  to  God,  when  the 
soul  realizes  that  it  cannot  rest  in  gifts  but  mUvSt 
find  its  end  only  in  the  Giver,  God. 

ii.  We  learn,  too,  from  S.  Paul's  history,  the 
great  test  of  our  conversion,  v/hich  is  a  desire  to 
obey  God.  S.  Paul's  first  question  was,  "I^ord, 
what  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do  ?  "  And  his  after 
life  shows  us  how  thoroughly  he  fulfilled  the 
promise  of  obedience  which  this  implied. 

(i)  It  would  be  well  for  us  often  to  ask  ourselves 
whether  we  desire  unreservedly  to  keep  all  God's 
commandments,  and  that  all  God's  Will  should 
be  done  in  us  and  by  us  ;  for  if  we  find  that  this 


294  Eastertide  Addresses, 

is  our  case,  we  may  be  sure  that  our  will  is  turned 
absolutely  to  God. 

If,  however,  we  are  willing  to  keep  only  some 
of  His  commandments,  and  not  all  of  them  ;  if, 
indeed,  there  be  but  one  which  we  neither  desire 
nor  intend  to  keep,  then  our  will  is  averted  from 
God,  and  we  need  conversion. 

Even  those  who  are  living  earnest  lives  require 
very  often  to  direct  their  wills  anew  to  God  ;  for 
though  they  have  started  with  the  intention  of 
surrendering  themselves  wholly  to  His  service, 
the  attraction  of  the  creatures  of  this  world  is 
very  liable  to  divert  the  will  from  its  straightfor- 
ward course  to  God. 

(2)  If  this  complete  obedience  to  God's  Will 
seems  to  demand  of  us  too  great  a  sacrifice,  we 
must  remember  that  another  test  (or  rather  effect) 
of  true  conversion,  which  goes  with  obedience,  is 
the  spirit  of  trustfulness  in  God. 

A  really  converted  soul  finds  no  more  difficulty 
in  trusting  God  than  a  little  child  does  in  trusting 
its  earthly  father  ;  and  our  Blessed  Lord  Himself 
has  told  us,  "Except  ye  be  converted,  and  be- 
come as  little  children,  ye  shall  not  enter  into  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven  "  (S.  Matt,  xviii.,  3)  ;  where 
He  associates  conversion  with  the  possession  of  a 
childlike  spirit. 

The  two  most  prominent  virtues  which  belong 
to  childhood  are  obedience  and  trustfulness.     If, 


The  Appearance  to  S.  Paul.  295 

then,  our  conversion  has  made  us  like  little  chil- 
dren, we  shall  have  no  difficulty  in  taking  God 
for  our  God  and  our  Father  ;  and  not  only  obey- 
ing Him,  but  trusting  Him  to  give  us  the  strength 
to  accomplish  what  He  commands. 

We  shall  have  the  spirit  of  David,  the  man 
after  God's  own  heart,  who  could  say  of  God, 
* '  The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd  ;  therefore  can  I  lack 
nothing." 

We  find  this  trustfulness  in  S.  Paul,  both  at 
the  time  when  he  asked  the  convert's  question, 
"  Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do?"  and 
throughout  his  whole  life. 

iii.  Another  most  valuable  lesson  which  we 
may  learn  from  S.  Paul's  conversion  is  the  im- 
portance of  counting  the  cost  when  we  really  give 
ourselves  to  Christ  ;  that  we  may  not  only  turn 
our  wills  to  God,  but  that  we  maj^  follow  our 
Lord  in  the  narrow  way  which  leads  to  eternal 
life. 

We  read  of  a  man  who  came  to  our  Blessed 
Lord  during  His  Ministry  on  earth,  and  said, 
"  Lord,  I  will  follow  Thee  whithersoever  Thou 
goest."  And  our  Lord  said  to  him,  "  Foxes 
have  holes,  and  birds  of  the  air  have  nests  ;  but 
the  Son  of  Man  hath  not  where  to  lay  His  Head  ' ' 
(S.  Lukeix.,  57,  58). 

Here  we  have  one  who  was  attracted  to  our 
Lord,  was  turned  towards  Him,  converted,  so  to 


296  Eastertide  Addresses. 

speak,  and  who  in  the  enthusiasm  of  his  conver- 
sion made  a  great  offer,  "  I  will  follow  Thee 
whithersoever  Thou  goest."  Our  Blessed  Lord 
does  not  reject  the  offer,  but  puts  plainly  before  him 
the  hardships  and  trials  which  it  involves,  by- 
telling  him  of  the  homeless  condition  of  the  Son 
of  Man,  Who  had  not  where  to  lay  His  Head. 

We  maj^  learn,  as  perhaps  the  most  important 
lesson  of  S.  Paul's  conversion,  the  cause  of  the 
failure  to  persevere  which  we  observe  in  the  case 
of  so  many  who  have  started  well  in  their  spirit- 
ual life. 

It  is  not  that  they  were  not  in  earnest  at  the 
time  of  their  first  conversion  to  God,  but  that 
they  did  not  stop  to  consider  the  consequences  of 
their  conversion.  And  so,  when  difficulties  and 
obstacles  and  temptations  met  them  in  their  spirit- 
ual life,  they  became  disheartened  and  gave  up 
the  struggle. 

The  three  days  of  blindness  during  which  S. 
Paul  was  left  all  alone,  were  devoted  to  the  con- 
sideration not  only  of  the  Vision  which  he  had 
seen  and  the  Voice  which  he  had  heard,  but  of  the 
consequences  involved  in  obeying  Christ's  call. 

It  is  something  like  this  that  most  men  need  at 
the  beginning  of  their  spiritual  life,  and,  indeed, 
not  only  at  the  beginning  but  continually  from 
time  to  time  ;  something  in  the  way  of  a  Re- 
treat, when  being  alone  with  God  they  can  really 


The  Appearance  to  S.  Paul.  297 

think  out  in  His  Presence  what  it  is  that  God 
calls  them  to  do,  all  that  is  involved  in  obedience 
to  that  call — not  that  they  may  reject  it,  but  that 
they  may  accept  it  prepared  for  whatever  difficul- 
ties may  meet  them  in  following  Christ. 

V.  May  we  not  fitly  conclude  these  Eastertide 
thoughts  by  asking  ourselves  some  such  questions 
as  these  : 

i.  Have  we  ever  realized  the  glorioics  possibilities 
involved  in  God's  loving  call  to  serve  Him  ?  Have 
we  ever  thought  of  what  we  might  become,  what 
we  might  do,  if  we  were  indeed  to  consecrate  all 
our  faculties  to  GOD  ? 

We  build  many  castles  in  the  air  in  connection 
with  this  life.  Have  we  ever  earnestly  thought 
over  the  possibilities  of  the  life  to  come  in  the 
Presence  of  God  in  Heaven,  if  we  were  now  to 
develop  all  the  powers  of  our  nature  in  accord- 
ance with  God's  gracious  purpose  for  us  ? 

ii.  Then,  again,  have  we  reall}^  tried  to  estimate 
the  sacrifices  which  perhaps  God  may  demand 
from  us  ?  That  is,  have  w^e  counted  the  cost, 
considered  the  difficulties  which  we  may  have  to 
meet,  the  trials  which  we  may  have  to  bear,  the 
temptations  which  we  may  have  to  overcome  ? 

iii.  Can  we  really  say  to  God,  "Lord,  what 
wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do  ?" — having  counted  the 
cost,  and  being  ready  to  do  what  He  tells  us,  trust- 
ing to  His  grace  to  enable  us  to  do  it  ? 


298  Eastertide  Addresses. 

If  our  trials  and  temptations  seem  very  great, 
let  us  turn  back  to  Good  Friday,  and  lift  our  eyes 
to  the  Cross  once  more,  and  see  what  Je:sus  did, 
and  bore,  and  suffered  for  us  ;  and  then  ask  our- 
selves if  any  sacrifice  can  be  too  great  for  us  to 
make  if  we  really  love  Him. 

Eastertide,  as  it  comes  round  year  by  year, 
shows  us  in  our  Lord's  risen  Life  something  of 
the  glories  and  possibilities  of  our  own  ;  and  as 
Eastertide  passes  away  it  calls  us,  in  this  last  ap- 
pearance of  our  Lord  to  S.  Paul,  to  raise  our 
eyes  from  earth  to  Heaven,  where  our  Lord  is 
now  reigning  ;  and  to  resolve  that  all  our  life  here 
shall  be  spent  in  the  preparation  and  development 
of  the  powers  of  our  immortal  soul,  that  they  may 
have  their  full  beatitude  and  fruition  in  the  glori- 
ous Eastertide  of  eternity. 

THE  KND. 


TDClorka  bg  tbc  IRev.  BlfreD  (5.  Mortimer,  D.H). 

RECTOR  OF  ST.  MARK'S,  PHILADELPHIA 


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